


Rescue My Heart

by astridloker (Horny_Unicorny)



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Qunari Culture and Customs, Size Difference, Slow Burn, Tal-Vashoth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 12:50:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18623644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Horny_Unicorny/pseuds/astridloker
Summary: Sancia is an elf that belongs to neither clan nor alienage. She is searching for a place to belong when the Dreadnought sinks and the bodies of Qunari warriors wash up on the coast. She saves the life of a Tallis and accompanies him on his mission to deliver a missive to the Commander of the Grey Wardens.





	1. No Clan, No Kin

**Author's Note:**

> This work is incomplete but not abandoned. I am working on several things at once, but it is one my favorite stories with two of my favorite OCs, so I do intend to write more for it at some point. Originally titled "Asit Tal-Eb", I discovered that title was used by several other authors, so until I think of something else, I've titled it after the song Rescue My Heart by Liz Longley because it reminds me of Sancia.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years before the blight, Sancia was an adolescent at a crossroads. She would have to embark on a journey alone to find her purpose. But her journey was interrupted.

Sancia knew she could never be the Keeper's second. She was an adept apprentice, learning the old healing magic from her Keeper with ease. But she did not believe in the Creators. Once, when she was a child, she'd believed everything she was told, taking it all as truth. The repetition of the tales and the history lessons about her clan and people were hammered into her. But when she reached adolescence, unlike the other teenagers that found little harmless ways to rebel, sneaking off into the woods at night or slipping naked into the pond under a full moon, she did not. Her rebellion was within her. She did not believe.  


Every Dalish underwent a rite of passage with the application of the vallaslin that venerates one of the elvhen gods. She was not yet of age at only sixteen, but soon her time would come. She did not want the vallaslin, but if she refused the rite, she would not be considered Dalish. Though typically the elves felt a connection to a particular Creator, Sancia did not. By this age, talk of vallaslin among her peers was a popular topic of conversation.  


"Hi, Sancia." Fenarel sidled up beside her where she knelt beside the bed of a boy around ten years old. He had taken a tumble into a felandaris after venturing into the part of the woods the Keeper had forbidden them from entering. On a dare, no doubt.  


"Hello, Fen." Sancia was pulling the long needles from the boy's arm and back and healing the bloody spots with magic.  


Fenarel had become fond of her nickname for him. When they were younger, she used to tease him about his name, calling him the dread wolf because his name was so close to Fen'harel. She was not the only one to do it, but as they grew older, she'd changed the way she addressed him and the way she looked at him. "Can we speak after you're done?"  


"Of course," she said, plucking the needles faster, much to the young boy's detriment.  


Fenarel chuckled, amused by her eagerness to be alone with him again. "Next time the Keeper says to stay away from something, you'll listen, right?"  


The boy sighed and winced, "Yes."  


"You're lucky a demon didn't possess you," Sancia said, pressing her hand to the pricks on his arm to heal them. "Where the veil is thin, spirits wander."  


"Demons?" the boy turned his head to look at her. "You're just trying to scare me."  


"No. The plant you threw yourself into only grows in such places. That is why it is called the Demon Weed."  


"I thought they called it that because it hurts," he mumbled. "And I didn't throw myself! I tripped."  


"I'll meet you by the demon weed," Fenarel smirked and walked away.  


"Now he's trying to get me possessed," Sancia said and placed the bowl of thorns in front of the boy. "Ask the Keeper where to dispose of these. You're lucky it was not rashvine nettle."  


"Thirty six," the boy said. "That's how many you pulled from me."  


"You can thank me with thirty six pieces of chocolate," Sancia smiled and followed Fenarel out to the forbidden area of the woods. "Of all the places."  


"Well, we know no one will see us here," he said.  


"Did you actually have something you wanted to talk about or did you have other things in mind?"  


"Both," he admitted, pulling her closer by her waist and kissing her lips. "I am going on my hunt tomorrow. After I bring back the pelt of a wolf, I'm going to have them give me the vallaslin of June."  


"June?" Sancia asked, surprised. "I thought you would choose Andruil."  


"Do you think I should?" he asked, concerned.  


"No. Choose whoever you like," she said, remembering his father had the markings of June. "Most of the hunters will probably choose Andruil. You will stand out."  


"And what about you?" he asked. "When will you ask the Keeper to test you? She may choose you as her First."  


"Merrill joined our clan to be her First."  


"But you are a capable healer, and you were born into the clan. You could become her Second if she would not have you as her First."  


"Fen..." Sancia hesitated, lifting his hands from her waist. "I will never be the Keeper's Second. And soon, I may no longer be allowed to stay."  


"What do you mean?" Fenarel looked at her, confused. "What have you done? I will help you fix it."  


"I have done nothing," Sancia said. "But I do not want the vallaslin."  


"I don't understand. How can you not want the vallaslin? It is sacred. It is Dalish tradition."  


"I don't believe in our traditions," she said, regretting how honestly the words poured out of her mouth of their own accord. "I have many questions, and hahren Paivel dismisses them and calls me disrespectful for not keeping faith."  


"It is disrespectful," Fenarel said, taking a step back. "You are renouncing your culture. You wish to join the humans?"  


"No!" Sancia tried to close the distance between them, but he moved back as if she were infectious. "This clan is my family and home."  


"We should go back to camp," he said, walking past her with an air of detachment. "We will not speak of this again."  


Sancia stood beside the felandaris where he left her to cry. She hadn't told anyone the truth before. After what they'd shared the last three months, she thought he, of all people, would still love her. But it seemed so easy for him to walk away. The sound of a hollow voice startled her and she ran, afraid it was a demon feeding on her despair.  


Fenarel was distant after that. The next day, after his hunt concluded and he underwent his rite of passage without flinching, the camp celebrated, and he did not once look her way.  


Sancia witnessed over the next few months as her first love moved on, finding affection from another young hunter. She understood and did not resent him for it. He hadn't told the Keeper what she said, giving her a chance to change her mind. And for the sake of belonging, she thought she could try. She could pretend and remain with the clan as their healer, or so she thought.  


It was almost Summersday when Merethari summoned Sancia to speak in private. "Da'len, Clan Virnehn to the north is in need of healers. I believe you should join them."  


"You're sending me away?"  


"It is your choice," she said. "But I know that you have lost your faith."  


"Fen told you?"  


"No, da'len. I can see," she said, placing her hand on her shoulder. "I have hope that you will find your way back to us. I think the best way for you to find yourself is by joining Clan Virnehn. They will teach you more than I could. You may fall in love again. And if you choose to return to us with your vallaslin, you will be welcomed back."  


"And if I do not want vallaslin?"  


"Then, you will not be Dalish."  


Sancia sighed, holding back the torrent of sadness that threatened to blind her with tears. She could not pretend after all. But she welcomed the opportunity to help this other clan and practice her magic. Perhaps a change of scenery would help her to grow. "When do I leave?"  


"As soon as you are ready."

By the end of the week, Sancia had a bag packed. She had never traveled on her own before. They were in the Coastlands, between Highever and Amaranthine, further north than they ordinarily strayed, but it was cooler there than inland. She would have to head west, taking Gherlen's Pass past Orzammar to the Dales. For now, that was where the clan resided.  


She was cautioned about taking the main road or traveling too close to the cities, though if she intended to take the fastest route, it could, at times, not be avoided. At dawn, she started her journey, saying her goodbyes to the clan as they saw her off. The Keeper insisted if she waited another month, they would start the journey with her, accompanying her halfway, but she did not want to wait. She was eager to be free.  


She started south-west, avoiding the coast, and walked for three days, following the sun. She remained off the beaten path, her greatest danger being bears or wolves, but she had become familiar with the signs of wildlife, living with the Dalish all her life. She would walk until just before sunset and build a small fire with the dried wood and sticks she would have gathered along the way. She knew not to let it burn all night and better to extinguish it with dirt in the early morning before daybreak to avoid too much rising smoke that might give away her position to bandits.  


It was on the fourth day that Sancia stopped later in the night than she usually did. She wanted to reach Crestwood to trade with a merchant and sleep in a proper bed, but she did not make it that far before curling up under a canopy of trees and building her small fire. She awoke to the scrape of boots in the dirt and the snapping of twigs with the footfalls around her, birds' songs carried away in the background with the rustling of leaves in the wind. She could still smell the embers burning in her camp fire as she sat up.  


"Well, what do we have here?" The man that stood over her, hands on his hips, was human, and he was armed with a knife on his belt. She guessed he was a bandit. He was not dressed like a soldier and did not carry a bow like a hunter would. That also meant he was not alone.


	2. The Dreadnought Sinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over ten years have passed since Sancia left Clan Sabrae. Now again in search of Clan Virnehn, she meets Tallis.

Tallis left the Arishok with his orders to find the Grey Warden Commander Surana and deliver a message to her. He was unsure why he was chosen for this mission, but he welcomed the opportunity to see Ferelden, having never been sent south of the Tevinter Imperium. He had been sent on brief missions to Rivain and Antiva as well as longer duration stays in Seheron and the Tevinter Imperium. He knew only that the Arishok had spent a year in Ferelden, aiding the Grey Warden Commander he was now tasked to find, and he had heard stories from the Beresaad of Ferelden humans keeping mabari war hounds. Though he had seen one before, they were not as common outside Ferelden or the Anderfels, another country he had never set foot in.  


The dreadnought was in view from his window as he donned his armor over his dark teal vest, which consisted of two large pauldrons and a pair of bracers. He wrapped a red sash around his waist over his sword and dagger belt, then leaned against the side of the window. He wondered how long he would be gone. There was no threat of a Blight now, but the sky had been torn asunder. Whatever it was that threatened Thedas now, the Arishok trusted the Grey Warden Commander was integral to the resolution.  


The final boarding horn sounded, and Tallis followed the warriors onto the large ship. He stood as tall as any of them, but he was built leaner than most of them. He took his seat in the hold and prepared for the voyage ahead by taking out a book, intent on becoming adept at speaking the common tongue of Thedas. Every country had its accents and dialects that slightly differed from one another. The first few times he left Par Vollen, he'd remained mostly silent for fear of misspeaking the language. He would think of what to say in the common tongue but hadn't been confident enough to speak. Now, after a few years of traveling abroad, he had trained himself to engage in conversations. People were easier to read when he could tease information out of them, instead of relying solely on observation.  


It was weeks before the dreadnought approached the Stormcoast. He stirred from where he'd fallen asleep in his seat as every man stood at attention, ready for the signal to attack. With their superior ship and weapons, they would sink the Venatori ship along the coast with ease. The Venatori on the ground would be slaughtered as soon as the dreadnought dropped their boats so they could charge up the beach. _It won't be long_ , he thought as he applied crimson vitaar over his eyes and across his mouth, cheeks, and jaw.  


The signal came, though he couldn't see it from below deck. Cannons fired. He looked out the window to see the Venatori ship sinking. He wanted to join the warriors as they stormed the beach, but it was not his mission to fight the Venatori -- only to find the Grey Warden, and he did not intend to die before reaching her. As he was on his way to the stairs, an explosion rocked the dreadnought, setting him off balance.  


Tallis ran up the stairs toward the shouting on deck as his Qunari brethren tried to put out the flames. He wondered if there had been a second Venatori ship they hadn't noticed, but as he spun around to look out at the shore, he saw a group of Venatori mages aiming their spells at the ship. He knew mages were capable of great destruction, but he hadn't expected they might be able to sink a dreadnought with their hands.  


The mages were readying another spell, something stronger they built up together, that gave the Qunari a brief lull in the action, a chance to focus on extinguishing the flames. One of the boats was let down into the water off the opposite side of the ship, but Tallis didn't have time to try to join it or lower another. He hoped the dreadnought would not be outmatched by a group of bas saarebas, but he could not risk failing his mission by staying on board.  


He ran for the opposite end of the ship to try to dive into the water and make his escape, but as he climbed up the railing, the Venatori mages unleashed their most devastating spells. Explosive fireballs the size of boulders pummeled the ship, ripping holes through the hull. The first one to fall landed mere feet away from Tallis, tearing through the ship's deck and splashing him with searing liquid fire as the force of the explosion knocked him away from the railing so he landed in the water.  


The roar of the flames and the destruction of the ship were the last sounds he heard, and heat was the last thing he felt before he lost consciousness. 

Sancia lay belly down against the grass as she watched from a cliff at a safe distance from the battle, hoping not to be noticed by either party. She watched both ships sink, confused by what she saw. Who manned the giant ship that destroyed the first so easily? And where did those mages come from? The rebel mages of the Ferelden Circle were not so well organized to take down a ship. And that ship was not like any she had ever seen before.  


She waited until those on the ground moved inland before she rose to her feet. She scanned the shore before making her way down, eager to investigate the wreckage and to help any survivors, should there be any. She could, at the very least, find some goods to scavenge and sell to the nearest trader before others came and picked apart the wreckage. She was not proud to be a scavenger, but she was nomadic. Being able to stay in a bed and drink something other than water and eat a meal she hadn't cooked over a campfire herself were luxuries she would like the option to partake in.  


She noticed a few bodies had washed up maybe a quarter mile down the coast below her and started making her way down the steep cliff side. Once she reached the sand on the bottom, she took her staff from her back and held it tightly, ready to shield herself and make a quick get away should she run into someone hostile.  


The bodies, as she drew near, were peculiar. They were larger than any man she had ever seen. At first, she thought their grey skin was a result of blood loss or perhaps from hypothermia and having drowned in the Waking Sea. But then she saw the horns. They were not human at all. She had never seen a Qunari before, but she had heard just enough stories to know they were "giant horned savages." She prodded the first body cautiously with the end of her staff. He was face up, his lips tinged blue and eyes half-lidded. His eyes were a haunting shade of silver from what she could see. She knelt down to feel for a pulse, her suspicion that he was already dead confirmed. He had a weapon, but she did not see any pouches on his belt that might hold coins.  


She moved on to the next body the sea had delivered to the shore. He lay face down in the sand, far up enough on the beach that the water did not wash over his face. She prodded him with the end of her staff too, just in case, before kneeling down to feel for a pulse. Her heart raced when she felt a slow, weak thrum against her fingertips. It took all of her strength just to roll him over on his side. He was not as heavily armored as the other man, nor as large, but he was heavy. She slung her pack off her shoulder and tucked it under the unconscious Qunari's neck so his horns would not get caught in the sand, and then she pushed him onto his back.  


She realized that his grey toned skin, complemented by his silver hair, was probably hereditary and not a side effect of drowning. She noticed he was still and not breathing, so she opened his mouth and tilted his head back as she pinched his nose closed and breathed air into his lungs. She waited and took a deep breath to blow air into his lungs again, checking that he still retained his pulse after each breath. A third breath. A fourth. She was beginning to feel light headed, but she attributed the feeling to the deep slow breaths she took. A fifth breath. A sixth. As long as his heart was still beating, she did not want to give up on him. She felt his body stiffen and convulse before he turned on his side to cough and vomit.  


She was finding it harder to breathe, like her throat was swollen, and she wheezed with every strained inhale. Seventh breath... She felt the rise of panic send prickles through her skin as she tried to gasp for air and couldn't.  


Tallis was dizzy and disoriented, but he remembered the explosion on the dreadnought that sent him overboard. He sat up, struggling against the pounding inside his head that begged him to lie back down, and scooped a handful of salt water into his mouth to rinse and spit. He turned to face the stranger that saved him. Her face was panic stricken as she scratched at her neck, unable to breathe. He could see the red vitaar on her lips, passed from his to hers.  


It felt like she was underwater as her vision blurred and the sounds around her faded behind the deafening beat of her heart pounding in her ears. She felt the Qunari lift her up in his arms just as she was about to lose consciousness. She tried to hold on, to remain alert, but she blacked out.  


Tallis moved quickly, carrying her up toward the rocks where a tall stalk of elfroot caught his eye. He had the herbs he needed to counteract the vitaar's poison, but fresh elfroot would make it work faster. He set her down, her limp body propped up against the rocks, and he tore the elfroot out of the ground and bit into it, ripping a chunk off to chew it into a paste as he opened a small pouch on his belt for the other ingredients; dried Prophet's Laurel and ripe Dragonthorn berries, which he would have squeezed for their juice, but pressed for time, he popped them in his mouth and chewed, mixing them with the elfroot. He spit the mixture into his hand and pressed the dried Prophet's Laurel into his palm, then used a finger to tuck the paste into her mouth, between her teeth and lower lip. He wiped the vitaar from her lips with his thumb and braced himself against the rock as he fought the dizziness that struck him, still weak from drowning.  


Sancia came to in a fit of coughs, pitching forward on her hands and knees as she tried to gasp for air, finding her throat itchy and her lips burning. It felt like she had inhaled mint and spice, simultaneously cool and hot.  


"Do not swallow it," Tallis said, pulling the waterskin from his belt and holding it out to her. If she did swallow the herbs, her stomach would cramp up in discomfort.  


Her eyes watered, but she could see the waterskin he held in front of her face and took it from him. She found instant relief as she swished the water in her mouth and spit the herbs out. Wiping her mouth on her arm, she looked up at him, relieved to see some color return to his face. "What happened to me?"  


"You were poisoned by my vitaar," he said, pointing at the red paint on his skin. He took a moment to look her over, noting she wasn't dressed like a warrior, though she had the scars of one. She was in a short robe, and her legs were wrapped with fabric, but she did not wear boots. "You are Dalish?" he asked uncertainly. The elves he knew were Qunari. He had never met a Dalish elf, but he had heard of them in Rivain. They dressed in the same way. Without shoes.  


"No," she answered, standing up. "Are you all right? You weren't breathing when I found you."  


"I am alive." He stood, wincing from the sharp pain in his side, and looked down at her, intrigued. "Why did you save me?"  


"You were still alive."  


He looked at her, reading her, and he sensed her intent was genuine, but he did not think anyone would risk reviving a Qunari. Throughout much of Thedas, all that was known of the Qunari was their brutality. The Qunari were feared. "It cannot be that simple. You are not Qunari, so you would have no reason to save my life and risk yours unless there was something to be gained."  


"I did not know I was risking my life," Sancia said. "Had I known you were poisonous, I would have wiped your mouth first."  


Tallis looked at her curiously. That wasn't what he meant.  


"And I do not expect anything in return. You could be saved. Why would I let you die when I could help?"  


He knew she was telling the truth. She had no reason to lie. "Thank you."  


"You're welcome."  


He turned to look out at sea, becoming more conscious of the pain that crept through him, and scanned the shoreline for his brethren. A few other bodies had washed up on the rocks a mile up the coast. The Qunari warrior that Sancia had found before him had been pulled back into the water. He didn't think he could be the only survivor, but there were no signs of life that he could see. He wanted to kill every Venatori mage in Ferelden, but it was not the mission he was sent on.  


Deep breaths sent sharp pains stabbing through his ribs, and he gritted his teeth, holding his side. "Vashedan," he muttered.  


Without thinking about it, Sancia lifted his hand from his ribs and replaced it with her own. Pressing her hand into his side, she cast a healing spell, whispering the words under her breath. Her hand emitted a faint blue glow against his vest, taking away his pain and mending the damage beneath the surface.  


"Bas saarebas!" he hissed, taking a step back as he reached for his dagger.  


Sancia gasped, her own hand flying up to grip her staff and catching only air. She froze, a look of fear flitting across her face. She was not defenseless without her staff, but there was not enough distance between them for her to escape unscathed should he decide to kill her.  


He lifted his hand from the handle of his dagger slowly. He could see he scared her, and even so, she didn't try to set him on fire. She was breathing hard like a frightened animal. She was not like the Venatori. "I will not harm you," he said. "You are... magic. I did not know." He touched his side, finding the pain minimal and still ebbing away. If she had wanted him dead, he reminded himself, he would be.  


Sancia didn't ordinarily use her magic in front of people, not unless it was to slow them down. Healing him was an instinct she'd acted on without thinking. Every muscle in her body had tensed, and now she relaxed with a shaky breath. "My name is Sancia," she said. "Yours is...?"  


"I do not have a name. I am called Tallis. Tallis is what I am."  


"And what is a Tallis?" she asked, turning to walk back to the shore where she'd left her pack and staff in the sand.  


"I am one who solves, but... another word, I am... assassin," he said, following her and gauging her reaction.  


"Oh." She picked up her pack and slung it over her shoulder, then turned to look at him as she slid her staff into its sheath on her back. "You don't have a name because... you were raised to be an instrument of death, nothing more?"  


"It is my purpose, but I do not only kill. Sometimes I retrieve something of value to the Qun. Sometimes I deliver important messages."  


"But doesn't it get confusing having so many Tallises and no way to address you differently? What if there are a few of you standing together and only one of you is needed for a mission? Are you Tallis number one or Tallis number four?"  


"When I am addressed, it is clear."  


"All right. Tallis."  


"Do you... have camp nearby?"  


"Yes. Follow me." Sancia lead him back up the path toward the cliff but past it into the trees where there was a small cave hidden among the boulders. "There are caves all over the storm coast. Most of them are inhabited by spiders. I cleared this one out," she said and lit the torch at the entrance with a small flame from her hand. The walls were wet, but the rain didn't fall directly into the camp from the openings between the rocks in the ceiling. Water cascaded down the walls and pooled in the shallow places. Only when it was really pouring hard did the water drip into the camp.  


There were hides on the floor where the puddles didn't quite reach. Most of them were from previous inhabitants, but Sancia cleaned them off after clearing out the vermin. The pack she carried on her shoulder held the necessities for survival: snacks, water, and potions. The larger bag she'd stashed in the corner of the cavern held trinkets for trade, a pot for cooking, and a fur she relied on keeping her warm and dry when she was not lucky enough to stumble upon a pile of hides. Over the bag in the corner was an outstretched hide she'd nailed to the wall to use as a makeshift tent for when the Storm Coast was especially stormy. She hadn't been there long, only long enough to learn she hated it and it was very uncomfortable to sleep with water dripping on her forehead from the rocks above.  


Tallis looked around, surprised at how high up the ceiling was. He had expected to feel confined, but aside from the tight entrance, the cave opened up nicely. He took to removing his armor. It would be hard enough to sleep as it were. He could feel the temperature dropping with the setting sun. The rain had not been so chilling before with the warm air, reminiscent of the humidity of Par Vollen. Now it just felt miserably cold.  


The light from the torch near the entrance kept the room dimly lit, but it did nothing to warm them. Tallis knelt at the center of the camp. "The wood is damp."  


Sancia lit the damp wood with veil fire, surprising him. She had to focus on the flame to evaporate the water from the wood before it would catch and burn. Even after the wood was turned to ash, the veilfire would remain. "That will stay lit until the storm gets worse."  


"Why is it blue?" he asked, tilting his head to inspect the fire. He had never seen anything like it. He sat down and held his hands out to it to warm them.  


"It is a magic I learned from my Keeper many years ago. It manipulates the Fade to create light. It has other uses, but that is all I use it for." Sancia took the fur from her bag and draped it over the back of his shoulders. It was a bit small for him, but she could see that he was cold. "I've never seen a person with horns," she said and sat beside him, looking at him with subdued fascination. "You must sleep on your side."  


He held the fur, appreciative of the added warmth. "I do. Sometimes I sleep on my stomach." He looked at her expectantly, "You have more questions. More important."  


"I don't want to bombard you with questions. You've been through a lot. My curiosity about your horns just couldn't wait," she smiled. The rainfall that was earlier a light drizzle was turning into a torrential downpour, roaring outside the entrance of the cave. The sound was amplified by the stone walls. She felt the familiar drip from the ceiling and moved back under her little tent, gesturing for him to follow when he looked back at her.  


As he reluctantly moved away from the veil fire to follow her under the tent, his horns caught the fabric and he stopped moving for fear he would bring the whole thing down. He was embarrassed and ashamed at needing her help.  


Sancia crawled out from underneath the blanket and, using both hands, pulled the cloth free of his horn and lifted it up over his head. Being in such close proximity, she noticed his eyes were pale gold against black sclera, like the full moon against a sky devoid of stars. Perhaps that, she thought, was why people were afraid of Qunari. Aside from their large stature. Despite the inhuman quality of his eyes, she found herself drawn into them and smiled.  


"What?" Tallis asked, confused by her smile. He wondered if she was amused at his needing help.  


"I like your eyes," she admitted.  


He was at a loss for words. He had never been told that by anybody before and wasn't sure what to think of it. In the darkness, it was hard to make out the color of her own, but they were light like the rest of her. He decided it best to say nothing rather than say something stupid and ducked under the tent to lie on his side. The fabric hung too low for him to sit upright.  


For a moment, Sancia wondered if what she said bothered him. She could tell he was thinking about it; it did not bother her that he said nothing. His silence was still somehow an acknowledgment. She felt like she was learning to read him. If he hadn't liked what she said, she thought he would have let her know it.  


He propped himself up on his elbow, without anything else to rest his head on, and made sure not to get too close or turn his head so he wouldn't accidentally gore her with his horns. "What is your purpose? Are you a rebel mage?" He watched the flickering flame, unable to turn his head to look at her where she sat beside him.  


"I am with nobody. I am searching for the clan I was meant to join many years ago... I haven't found them yet."  


"How did you avoid war? We received reports your mages and templars have ceased fighting... and there is a bigger threat."  


"I was not a part of the Circle, so they don't have my blood to track me by. And by the bigger threat, do you mean that hole in the sky?"  


"Yes. And who created it. We offered an alliance with the Inquisition. We would just invade and solve the problem ourselves, but this is... big."  


She'd heard of the Inquisition but hadn't kept up with the news, so she didn't know enough about it or his people to know what an alliance could mean for the future of Ferelden. Curiously, and hoping he wouldn't notice, she lightly traced a finger over his horn. It was like the horns of any other animal, except his were polished smooth before being decorated with silver bands that wrapped around them. They were charcoal colored, but they reminded her of agate, the way the color was marbled with different tones of grey and black. They were rougher where they protruded from his skin.  


Tallis didn't stop her. He didn't move. "The Ben-Hassrath do not normally have horns. They are also better at speaking. I am still learning."  


She pulled her hand away when she realized he'd noticed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched you without asking," she said, ashamed. 

"I do not mind." 

"Do the horns mean you're special?"  


Tallis cracked a smile, "The opposite. But I show promise. I am also interested in the lands of foreigners."  


"I find you speak very well," she said. "And I think your horns are special."  


Tallis was quiet for a moment, piecing together his response before saying it. "I have not met an elf like you before. You have no fear toward me. Even knowing what my purpose is. So, I think you are special too."  


Sancia smiled. "Are there a lot of elves where you are from? You come from the north, um... Par Vollen? Or is it Seheron?"  


"Par Vollen. Correct. The elves I speak of... not so much in Par Vollen. But I travel and encounter elves. Most know not what I am but still fear me as a monster."  


"Under different circumstances, I might have been one of those cowering elves you encountered," she said, considering the moment she'd felt threatened on the beach. It was like seeing a bear wake and bare its teeth. "But I suppose you're slightly less intimidating when you're not breathing. Had you pulled your weapon on me, I would have run faster than any elf you've ever seen."  


"You could have killed me and did not. Or you could have just let me die. I knew you meant no harm. I do not take life unless I have to. And I owe you mine."  


"You owe me nothing," she said, setting her hand lightly against his horn. She wondered if she should carry a palm stone, having now this tactile urge to feel the smooth curvature under her fingertips. "Besides, you saved my life as well."  


He sat up, hunched over as he stretched his legs out toward the fire and leaned back on his elbows so he could look at her beside him. "Have you seen many battles?"  


It took her a moment to remember what she looked like. He was looking at her scars. Even by the dim light of the veil fire, she knew he could see them. For once, having attention paid to them did not make her feel embarrassed or ugly. Usually when others saw her face for the first time, they looked at her with disgust or pity or a morbid curiosity. It was a wonder to her how more elves did not have as many scars as she did. She did not think she had worse luck than anybody else. Her luck was merely on display for all to see.  


"Mm. No. I wouldn't call it that. Here, elves are not treated with respect. They call us free because we are not forced into slavery like in Tevinter, but we are oppressed. Treated like animals. Not as well as the dogs though."  


"Many elves who convert to the Qun are slaves from Tevinter. Some return to slavery, but now the Qun has given them purpose. Were you given those markings by slave hunters?"  


"Humans but not slavers," she said. "Though, the man who cut across my eye probably did intend to make me his slave. Most of the others came from the Arl of Denerim's son. I was paid to work in their kitchen. You'd think a man would show some hesitation to abusing the elf in charge of his food."  


"Did you poison this human?"  


"No... I did not. His father, or whoever else came into power, would have had the entire kitchen staff hanged."  


"Unfortunate. I could seek this man out and kill him to repay you."  


"What an enticing offer," Sancia chuckled. It really was. "I do know that he lives. He supported the Grey Wardens in the Landsmeet after it was rumored he had been killed... but it would put you at great risk. His estate has many guards, not only on duty at one time, but residing in the barracks on the grounds. And you were sent here on a mission to help the Inquisition, weren't you? What will you do now?"  


"I am here to seek out the Grey Warden. For now, I must rest and heal. When will you leave this place?"  


Though she did seek Clan Virnehn, Sancia moved at her leisure. She had already lost so many years that, as far as she knew, her invitation had long expired. No matter when she arrived, she would arrive an outsider. The problem was finding where the clan had moved. She could wait a few more years for the gathering of the clans, but she did not have anywhere to remain until then, so it seemed just as well she wander until she stumbled across them as she had so many others. Until the gathering, she would still be guessing their location.  


She was on the coast to board a ship, to try finding them in the Free Marches. That was, after all, where the Sabrae clan had moved after the Blight. Whether even they still resided there, she was not sure. But she did not particularly want to move to the Free Marches. She knew little about the land, except that Kirkwall housed the most abusive templars in Thedas and that the cities were built by Tevinters. She did not like templars or Tevinters. Meeting Tallis offered her an alternative to her dreaded trip across the Waking Sea... if he did not wish to travel alone.  


"May I accompany you?" she asked. "It would be safer for me than traveling alone."  


Tallis figured she knew the land better than he did and could speak for him. "Yes. Maybe we will both find what we seek if we travel the same path."  


"Then we will leave this place when you are ready. Make yourself as comfortable as you can and get some sleep," she said and moved over for him to lie down.  


"Very well." Tallis lay on his stomach with his arms folded under his head and looked up at her before closing his eyes. "Thank you for saving me."  


"You're welcome, Tallis." Sancia crossed her arms with a yawn as she leaned back against the wall to try sleeping upright. It didn't work. Every time she reached the brink of sleep, her head rolled to the side, waking her. After nearly an hour of frustration, she removed the fur from his back and lay on her stomach, on top of him, with her head resting between his broad shoulders. She pulled the fur up to her chin and fell asleep to the relaxing rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing.  


Tallis felt her weight and warmth on his back, surprised to have an elf sleeping on top of him. He opened his eyes, but he did not protest. Instead, he tried not to move for fear of disturbing her.  


The next morning, when he woke and lifted his head to glance back over his shoulder at her, he winced, finding his ribs were still sore. If they hadn't been broken, they had at least been cracked, and now they felt merely bruised.  


Sancia woke with a start, feeling his slight shift, for a moment forgetting where she was and all about him. She lifted herself off of him carefully. "How are you feeling?" She hoped she didn't give him a sore back. In hindsight, she should have asked permission before using him for a bed. His rest and recovery was more important than her own.  


"Better than dead," he said.  


She raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean you are still in pain?"  


He was not going to admit the pain bothered him. He'd certainly felt worse. "I am well enough."  


She cast a rejuvenation and a regeneration spell on him to help with his energy levels and his overall health. Whatever pain he was in would ebb away quickly, seeing as how her spell was not interrupted this time. "Were you able to sleep?"  


"Yes. The warmth and weight of your body was... good." He stretched after she cast her spell, finding the pain was gone. He thought if he inspected beneath his vest he would not find a mark on him. He had to wonder why there was so much fear of all mages if there were mages like her. "Your abilities are helpful."  


"I think so too," she smiled. "It would be nice if I could cast spells freely without fear of being killed, but people fear even spirit healers. The templars and the Chantry would beat it over my head that I am capable of great power and if I did not mean well, I could abuse it and hurt people. I would rather just mind my own business though."  


"It is good that you know control. I have seen what happens when saarebas loses control," he said and leaned back to point at the scar across his chest. "This was from a lightning spell."  


"It's beautiful," she said, seeing how it climbed across his torso and splintered off across his shoulder, engrained into his skin. "It looks like the roots of a tree. It must have been very painful."  


"It was," he said, looking down at his chest with a wry smile. "You have made me look at it differently. I never thought of it that way before." He pulled his vest aside and pointed at the burn scar on the side of his stomach. "This was from a Tevinter magistrate that I was tasked with eliminating in Seheron."  


She understood why, seeing her magic, he'd had a hostile knee jerk reaction. "You have fought many mages?"  


"More than I would like."  


She had no intention of fighting him, and she understood that he must feel disadvantaged against enemies wielding magic. They had hurt him before he'd cut them down. She wondered if he would have succeeded in killing her if he'd intended to. She had escaped a Templar before, though it wasn't easy. She'd escaped many attempts on her life, but she imagined he could run very fast, being as tall as he was. She had also never dealt with an assassin before. They would have to be quick on their feet. And unlike Templars or Bandits, their primary objective was to kill.  


She crawled over to her pack and offered him a snack. Nug jerky and cheese. "It's not much. I'm due for a visit to the nearest town."  


"Thank you," he said, taking it and tearing off a piece between his teeth. He appreciated her not only saving his life and keeping him warm but feeding him from her limited rations before feeding herself. She was kind. "We should walk the coast and check for supplies from the dreadnought."  


She rolled up her makeshift tent along with the hides and tied them to her pack as she watched him put on his armor. She was intrigued by him... and by her attraction to him. She felt self-conscious about her ignorance of the world outside herself. She knew almost nothing about the Qun, and now she was eager to learn more, to better understand him. But she was cautious about her feelings toward him.  


Tallis secured his bracers and tied his sword belt and sash around his waist, then he held his hand out to her, offering to carry her things. Sancia hesitated. She did not want to make him her pack mule, but she handed him her pack and kept her staff fastened to her back. "Thank you, Tallis."  


He smiled back at her, "You can have anything valuable we find." After leaving the cave, he walked beside her to the shore. The sky was overcast and the air moist with mist, but there was a reprieve from the rain. As they walked along the coast, he was grateful not to be greeted by the sight of his dead brothers. "Crates have washed ashore."  


"Do you know what's in them?"  


"Food or armor," he guessed and gripped a loose piece of the nearest crate to rip it open. "Or... bowls and cups." He looked at her. "Do you think you can sell these?"  


"I don't know how far we'd have to carry them, but I wouldn't mind taking a couple for us."  


Tallis nodded and moved along to the next crate, ripping the planks of wood off one side. "Dried meat and bread."  


"Doesn't look like it's dry anymore," Sancia said, peering past his arm. "And the bread is soggy."  


He took a piece of the meat and bit into it. "Still good. Not the bread."  


She took the meat from his hand and ate it. She wasn't sure what kind of meat it was, but it was seasoned with spices she was unfamiliar with. "I like this."  


He smiled, again surprised by her. In most places, including Par Vollen, they did not like to share food in such a way. It carried the risk of passing illness. In other countries, he would see parents share food with their children. In Par Vollen, of course, that was not a practice Qunari had, seeing as how the parents did not take part in rearing the children. He considered this small act of hers an act of trust rather than recklessness.  


Sancia took a cloth from her pack and made a small knapsack for food and wrapped up as much meat as she could fit in the bundle. "This will last us a couple of days," she guessed. She wasn't sure how much he needed to eat. Perhaps it would be gone by midday.  


Tallis turned toward the distant sound of voices, barely heard over the wind and waves. "Come," he said, leading her up the shore toward the rock face of the cliff. Out along the shoreline, they were in plain sight. He moved slowly around the cliffside and climbed up the rocks to peer over the edge as the voices spoke just above them. He moved back down to join her and whispered, "Tevinter."  


She whispered back, "Why would there be Tevinter mages here? Never mind. What do we do?"  


"They must be the Venatori. They are guarding the coast. We should go around."  


"Are you sure? What if I distract them for you?"  


"It will be dangerous. Are you sure you want to?" He drew his sword and dagger.  


"I just learned a new spell I could try out. If it doesn't work, I'm very fast."  


Tallis liked her attitude, her trust in his ability, and her willingness to fight at his side. "They have their backs to us. I will sneak to the rocks to the side of them. When I am in position, get their attention." Tallis moved silently as he made his way to the large rock on the flank of the mages.  


When he stopped, Sancia climbed up the side of the hill until she had the mages all in sight and targeted them with Mana Clash. Two of the mages were incapacitated instantly and one was severely injured, but the last appeared unharmed. She wasn't sure if the spell had missed or if he had some kind of ward or shield to protect him from it. But he turned and cast a fireball in her direction. She ran to escape it, feeling the heat and wincing from the splash of molten embers that hit the back of her legs.  


Tallis came out from behind the rock and sprinted toward the mages. He dispatched the two incapacitated mages by slitting their throats and lifted one of the bodies in front of him to use it as a human shield against a fireball thrown at him by the injured mage. He threw his dagger into the mage's chest and dropped the body he held in front of him. He retrieved his dagger as he finished the mage off with his sword.  


"Fasta vass!" the Venatori mage shouted and chased after Sancia, stopping to shield himself with a spell when she turned to fire a bolt of lightning from her staff. He countered in kind with a bolt of lightning that ran up her arm.  


She cried out in burning pain and dropped her staff, putting up a force field to buy time, but she couldn't heal herself or attack while her bubble was up. She wasn't sure how far behind Tallis was, but she took a deep breath and dropped the force field to put more distance between herself and the Venatori. She darted behind a tree when he shot another bolt of lightning from his staff, setting the tree ablaze. She quickly healed herself so the red scar running up her arm disappeared and the pain ebbed away. She ran out from behind the tree and raised her hands palms up to cast Thornblades, summoning roots from the earth to knock him back.  


Tallis saw the Venatori conjuring a spell and closed the distance before he could finish casting. The shadow strike crippled him, but he landed on his hands and knees with a cry of pain. Sancia cast Cone of Cold to freeze him in place, and Tallis struck him as hard as he could with his sword, shattering him into hundreds of pieces.  


Breathing hard, Tallis stood upright and sheathed his sword. He looked at Sancia with a grin, still vibrating with a rush of adrenaline and pleased by their teamwork.  


A little winded, Sancia smiled back, "We got all four of them?"  


"Yes," Tallis said. "Are you injured?"  


She shook her head, "I healed myself. What about you?"  


"They did not see me. They were focused on you."  


"Well, I did say I would distract them."  


"You did. I did not know how you could do it without getting hurt, but that spell..."  


"It is only useful against mages. Their magic is turned against them."  


"I see. It was more powerful than I expected. You are a formidable opponent."  


"I'm honored you think so. I don't find myself in combat often," she admitted, picking up her staff where she'd dropped it.  


"We should leave before more come. Where do we go from here?"  


"You mentioned the Grey Warden. You meant the Hero of Ferelden, right? She is probably helping the Inquisiton. But we could go east to see if she's at Soldier's Peak. It's a fortress in the mountains. But if she's with the Inquisition, we need to go south west."  


"That is who I seek. Let us travel to visit this Inquisition. I wish to see this army with my own eyes."


	3. Bandits on the Road

Tallis walked at Sancia's pace, aware that he would have to slow his gait to match her stride, as they walked south from the coast. The rain had slowed but hadn't stopped, soaking the two under a steady drizzle. He held her map outstretched in front of him, trying to figure out where exactly the dreadnought had landed and what cities might lay ahead of them. Amaranthine, he thought, was too far east. And they would pass too far inland to stop in Highever. 

"I am sorry about your brethren," Sancia said, breaking the silence. 

"They were warriors. They died well," Tallis said and closed the map. He offered it to her, hoping she could tell him where they were. He would not ask for fear of looking stupid. "But I thank you."

She tied the rolled map to her bag and eyed his belt where he kept his daggers and a bottle of the red poison that had nearly killed her. And she could see the square bulge of his book inside his vest. "I saw your book."

"I am trying to learn your tongue."

"You sound fluent already," she said, studying him. "Can you teach me some of your language?"

Surprised, he glanced down at her. "You wish to learn Qunlat?"

"I'm curious," she said. "I know the common tongue and what is left of the Dalish language. I may be able to pick up on it." 

"Very well. Anaan means victory."

She repeated the word aloud, "Anaan. We had a great anaan against those mages." 

"Yes," Tallis agreed. "Asit tal-eb means 'the way things are meant to be.'"

"That sounds lovely. A good phrase to live by," Sancia said. "Asit tal-eb. Perhaps I was not meant to find my clan and I was meant to stumble across you instead."

"It means your nature. I would not be here if not for you." He would not have ever imagined traveling alone with bas-saarebas, but considering the circumstances, traveling with her seemed the best way to find Skyhold. "Hissera means hope. Tallis means 'to solve.' That is my purpose."

"Hissera. Hope like you hissera to find the Grey Warden? Or like the feeling of hope? Have hissera, ma'falon."

"Both. Ma'falon? Is that the words of elves?" 

"Yes. It means 'my friend.'"

He was surprised she would call him such. Qunari did not bond so quickly. But he was happy to learn something new. "Ma'falon," he repeated, testing the words. "Qunari say kadan. It means 'where the heart lies.' It is for those you care about."

"Your language is beautiful and poetic," Sancia said with admiration. "Mine has mostly been lost to time and war. It is said when the elves lost the war and were enslaved by the Tevinter Imperium, much of our people was erased by the humans. The Dalish cling to what little we have left and are always searching for remnants of our culture. It is what makes the Keepers so important. They, and their second, are the only elves in the clan tasked with retaining and passing on our history and culture. We know only a fraction of the language now and most cannot read the script. I imagine when my people thrived, the language might have been as beautiful as yours."

"It is a shame so much was lost," he said and caught himself, conflicted. "I follow the Qun and all who become Qunari must give themselves to the Qun. But I enjoy... many difference."

She understood it as being like how believers in the Maker and Andraste are expected to renounce the Creators. "Tell me more about the Qun. Is that a deity?"

"The Qun is what all Qunari base their lives on. It is a philosophy... It is laws. It is very difficult to explain in short. It is the priest's duty to teach. I cannot."

"I am not asking you to convert me," Sancia said, having no interest in speaking with a priest. She had met enough Andrastian sisters in Denerim to be put off by the thought of speaking to a priest. "What can you tell me? How would I be treated in Par Vollen? As a woman? An elf? A mage?"

"You would not like it," he said grimly. 

The grainy deep tone of his voice made her feel small. She knew he was not threatening her, but it sounded like a warning not to get too close. She walked a step behind him as he kept his eyes forward and could tell by how rigid he had become that he was uncomfortable answering her. Because, she thought, he would tell her something she did not want to hear, and he didn't want to. 

"As a woman, like the men, Qunari believe that each are better suited for specific tasks. The Tamassrans will find you a role. Women are rarely placed as warriors and men are rarely made to become farmers. A woman may become ben-hassrath just as a man, but even then they have specific tasks. And since you are not Qunari, you would be forced to convert to the Qun. Once you become Qunari, you will fill the role you are given. All are treated the same once they are Qunari."

"You say we would be treated the same, but women are not warriors, they are laborers? That does not seem equal."

" All are assigned based on what they are believed to be appropriate for. Qunari are only concerned with the whole. Individual desires are not as important. What will bring the best result is the only care. When you become Qunari, you are Qunari. If you are a great warrior, you can become Arishok. If you are a great craftsman, you may become Arigena. And you may also become Ariqun, leader of the priests."

"Is there a test you take? A chance to craft or fight before being deemed a laborer?" 

"As a convert you will be taken to a re-education camp to first become Qunari. There you will be observed and where you fit will be decided."

"And you say elves are treated the same as the humans and the... horned qunari like you?" She wasn't sure what to call him. He was neither elf, nor human, nor dwarf. When speaking of the horned giants, people had always referred to them as qunari. She wondered then if there were any horned giants who were not qunari. 

"Yes. All are equal under the Qun."

"Are there laws protecting women from abuse?" she asked. 

"If a Qunari were to do such a thing, they would be considered ill and in need of re-education. Gender is not important to Qunari. Any disrupting the whole is considered defective."

"In much of Thedas, humans treat elves as second class. I've met human men that treat elves like objects for their amusement. The uprising in Denerim started because Vaughan -- that man I worked for -- disrupted a wedding and abducted the brides."

"This is why many Qunari view the outside world as needing to be taught. But know that you are not an individual. It is why I am called by my title and not by name. Names are not important to Qunari."

"I understand your society is meant to be efficient, but how do you socialize if you are not individuals? Do you have friendships? What do you do for fun?"

"I like to play the game called chess. We bond over common tasks. Some of us who travel outside of Par Vollen find enjoyment out of viewing the great arts of the world. Things that took great mastery to accomplish."

"What about love? Are your marriages arranged?"

"We do not marry. We are selected for breeding and produce a child. Though... there are occasions when Qunari do mate with one they love, but they are then sent for re-education. If a child is produced, it is raised as any other Qunari child is."

Sancia balked, "You are... bred? Like... a horse?" She stared at him, but he kept his gaze straight ahead. She wondered then if there were any qunari who were not built like he was, tall and muscular with silky silver hair. 

She thought of the mabari breeders in Denerim, choosing which pups they would breed for coat color and temperament. The runt of the litter was never chosen for breeding, usually sold off to a rich aristocrat for their spoiled brat, rather than trained for the military. She had trouble picturing a short, skinny qunari. Perhaps those would become the craftsmen or the laborers, rather than the warrior or the tallis. "That... is strange to me. And sad. You cannot bond with your mate or your child?"

"No. That would not serve the Qun." 

"And unless you are selected for breeding, you are celibate?"

He gave a barely noticeable shake of his head. "We are bred, but it is not to say we never have sex for pleasure. Those in need of sexual release may turn to the Tamassran."

"The Tamassran? Are they like... prostitutes?" When he looked at her incredulously, she knew she had offended him with her ignorance. 

The look he gave her was fleeting as he reminded himself she was still learning. His voice was even, reassuring her she did no harm. "No. They are 'those who speak' and are priests. They have many roles that build Qunari society. They provide counsel when you are stressed. They take care of those no longer able to take care of themselves. They control who breeds. And they also provide sex for those who need it."

"They provide sex? But... there must be many of them for that to be one of their roles. Unless the men do not need sexual release... often?"

"Men need sexual release more than the women, but sometimes the women need it too. When you are in need, you go and ask the Tamassran and they will provide."

"Can men be Tamassrans too then?"

"Tamassrans are women. Qunari do not believe that men are as capable to handle the tasks that a Tamassran undertakes."

"But what if a woman desires sexual release from a man?"

"The Qun just does not allow sex with bonding. Sex for Qunari is about taking care of a need. A man will be provided to satisfy her needs if it helps her perform her duty without distraction. Understand that it is not something that comes up often in Qunari society."

"What about those that are away from Tamassrans for extended periods?"

"Those of us who are often traveling tend to have more... what is the word? We are allowed to explore curiosities." 

"So, those who do not travel are only allowed to find sexual release with a Tamassran, but traveling abroad, you are permitted to find sexual release wherever it suits you?"

"We are trusted to know what we are doing. As long as we are not straying from the path of the Qun, they will excuse it as obtaining what we need."

"I see." She inhaled deeply, taking it all in. It was so different from anything she had experienced herself. She had asked and been answered about the treatment of women and elves. The answers were reasonable and she accepted them. But she had the feeling his warning when she'd first asked about the Qun regarded their treatment of magic. He had said quite honestly that she would not like it, but so far, aside from having her fate decided for her, the Qun did not sound so entirely dislikeable. She looked at him, ready to hear more. "And mages?" she asked, "How are those with magic treated?"

He was no longer tight and rigid, but his voice took a somber tone. "To the Qunari, you are Bas Saarebas. Saarebas means 'dangerous thing.' Bas is outsider. If you were not killed, you would be treated as a weapon. An Arvaarad would be placed to watch over you. You would be chained, your mouth would be sewn shut, and a collar placed on your neck to block your magic until it is needed. Any Saarebas caught practicing forbidden magic has their tongue cut from their mouth to prevent corruption of others. The Qunari do not hate the Saarebas, but they are harsh. Those who cooperate are viewed with honor and considered to be truly selfless. But I can see how outsiders would view it differently." He knew she had value, but he also knew any bas saarebas would be given the qamek by a Tamassran. She would not be allowed to convert to the Qun. This troubled him.

She was silent, picturing in her mind what he described, and finding it to be worse than she expected. She didn't know what to say, but she appreciated his honesty. She had no place in his world. She was surprised at the tinge of disappointment she felt and inwardly chided herself for it. She did not belong anywhere but on her own. _Asit tal-eb._ "Thank you for answering my questions," she said.

"You're welcome. I will answer anything else you wish to know."

She felt despondent then, especially at how the mages were treated, never mind the impersonal nature of the Qun. It was not so much a revelation as a reinforced truth that there wasn't any corner of the world that wasn't ugly. 

Tallis could tell she had been brought down by what he taught her of the Qun. He did not know what to say to console her. Though she had said she was not looking to be converted, he wondered if she had been interested in finding her purpose. The Qun could give her that. Or, it could have if she were not bas saarebas. "I take back what I called you on the beach, Sancia."

"You do not think I am a 'dangerous thing' anymore?"

"No. You are not Saarebas. You are a healer and should be revered."

"I understand now why your initial reaction to seeing my magic was to kill me," she said. As far as she was concerned, he had been brainwashed by the Qun and had only ever fought mages, never befriended one. 

"I did not think to kill you. If I thought to kill you, you would have died or killed me while I tried. But I was cautious."

"I did not mean to say you decided to kill me, only that you thought you might have to. You perceived me as a threat. You called me 'dangerous thing.' It was a reaction out of fear," she said, reflecting on her own perspective of the encounter. But she knew as soon as she said it, he would not like what she said. She presumed to read and understand him and accused him of being afraid of her. Him! Afraid of her! It sounded so ridiculous, she could almost laugh at it herself, but she didn't want him to think she was laughing at him. She expected him to deny such an outrageous idea. Like he said, if he'd thought to kill her, she would be dead. She thought he'd only suggested she might kill him in self-defense to be kind to her. She knew she would not have fought him. She had been without her staff. Not that she could not cast a spell without it, but in that moment, her next course of action would have been to flee. And she would not have made it far before he caught up to her. She was barely able to keep pace with him now. 

Tallis grunted, considering her point of view. "I understand. It was a reaction out of fear. I was defensive. But I know now that you are not any more dangerous than I." 

Relieved she did not offend him, she realized she was making assumptions about his character based on his appearance. For some reason, she thought he would be angry with her. And she had imagined he would be stern with her, his voice raised in dominance. But he had never displayed a temper or been anything other than calm and patient with her, with the exception of their first meeting, which, still, was not a display of anger. She wondered if it was because he was a dark-eyed, horned giant or if it was because he seemed so certain of himself or merely because he was a man with a deep voice that she thought he would react defensively to her saying he had been scared. 

She smiled at him, and he could sense it, even though he was looking above the trees at the sky as the clouds thinned, letting in more light between the leaves. She wanted desperately to learn more about him now that she knew he would not yell at her or abandon her for saying the wrong thing. She had already put her foot in her mouth twice, and he hadn't yet given her the impression he'd prefer to travel in silence. She punctuated the silence that had fallen between them. "But you are dangerous." 

"Yes. I am. But only when I choose to be. I am not a danger to you and neither are you to me. If someone were to try to attack us, we would both become very dangerous," he said, looking over at her, wondering if he made sense. 

"Yes, we would," she said softly. "I am glad that you respect my abilities. But healing magic can be learned by any mage. It would not stop the templars, and I doubt it would stop your Tamassrans, from seeing me as anything but 'a dangerous thing.' The way Qunari treat mages does not sound any more enlightened than the way Fereldens treat mages."

"You are wise," Tallis said, "Anyone can stick someone with a blade, but with skill, you can do it more efficiently. It must be the same for magic." 

"That is true."

"I see your view. But Qunari do not hate mages under the Qun, and our mages understand why it is so. They are respected for the hardship they endure."

"Your mages believe what they are taught. It is all they know. Just as children taken from their parents are imprisoned in the Circle from such a young age they can no longer remember their mother's faces, they too only know what they are taught. They are taught that they are dangerous, that the prison is for their own good because without it, they will be possessed. It is not absolute," she said. She knew there was some danger of possession, but so far she had never felt threatened herself. She didn't remember any trips into the Fade and never spoke to spirits or demons. She had, without emphasis, been warned about the dangers by her Keeper, but she never was made to feel cursed for magic. "Your Qunari mages are imprisoned within their own bodies. It is worse than being imprisoned in the Circle. I do not agree with either the philosophy of the Qun or Andraste when it comes to the treatment of people born with magic. I was fortunate to be born free. I would sooner die than let somebody take that from me."

Tallis grunted, "Some Qunari might say that I am too open to ways outside of the Qun, but as Tallis I have to be able to understand the places and people I visit. I am thankful that you share with me your true feelings and thoughts. I would not want you to endure what they must." He was quiet, considering the treatment of mages and whether the severing of tongues or binding of lips were necessary or excessive. 

"It is hard for your mind to grow when it is closed," she said, slowing down to inspect her feet, which had been saturated in wet sand and mud over the last two hours. She stepped into the nearby creek and wiped the mud and sand out from between her toes and off the fabric that wrapped her legs. "You are fortunate to be exposed to so many different people and places. Many never leave the place they are born. They never learn anything different."

"Yes. I am thankful to have had these experiences. Some might it consider it dangerous for me to think this way. Some might feel I am close to needing re-education."

"What does re-education involve? Is it unpleasant?" she asked, standing up to continue their journey. Tallis took the pack from her when she dropped it from her shoulder. 

"Unpleasant but necessary. It is to help us remember the path of the Qun. We are taught the importance of the Qun once more. The lesson is harsher for those that have strayed far from the teachings."

"You said some might think you are close to needing re-education. What do you think?"

"I am conflicted. But I do not believe I have strayed from the path. I see it as necessary for me to understand things. The places I go are not the same as Par Vollen. My mind must be diverse."

"What have you done that others would judge you for?"

"Traveling with a mage," he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"Oh... right," she said sheepishly. 

"I have also questioned the ways of the Qun and if they are truly necessary for the good of our society, at times. Questions are not tolerated."

"Oh? What have you challenged?"

"Those who wish to leave the Qun should be able to safely. But I also understand the need to suppress dissent."

"You said re-education is necessary for those who stray, but you also support the freedom of those that wish to leave?" 

"I should have said it is necessary for those who have strayed and wish to be Qunari. But if one does not believe in the Qun and does not wish to be Qunari, then they should have the choice to leave." He knew it was considered a dangerous mindset. If a Qunari had heard him, he would have been reported and the Ben Hassrath would have taken him in for assessment and re-education. It caused him inner turmoil to realize this, hearing himself say it aloud. He did not want to be Tal-Vashoth, but it was the way Tal-Vashoth think. He considered himself Qunari, yet he spoke against the Qun.

"I see." She felt compassion for the Qunari people, forced to follow a philosophy they didn't all believe in, forced to fill roles that served the Qun but not themselves, that disallowed individual desire or freedom. "Then, there are none like you who are not Qunari?"

"There are. They are Vashoth or Tal-Vashoth."

She was relieved to know some got away. "What is the difference?"

"Tal-Vashoth have rejected the Qun. A Vashoth has been born to Tal-Vashoth parents. These names are not only for those who look like me though. All who once were Qunari can become Tal-Vashoth."

"You said they are not allowed to leave. Are they considered problems, then, to be hunted down and disposed of?" 

"Those that commit violence and kill are hunted. Those who turn to a life as bandits also are hunted. Non-violent Tal-Vashoth may not be actively hunted but are brought back for re-education if caught. The Qunari do not like to waste and prefer to reform and show their prisoners the path through the Qun in order to uplift them."

"Enslavement does not sound uplifting to me." 

"To Qunari the Qun is the true path to peace and all others are uncivilized people who are wandering blind and need to be shown the way."

She held her tongue for a moment, focusing on the concept of the Tal-Vashoth rather than being called a savage. "The Tal-Vashoth are abducted and forced back into the Qun. You called them prisoners because they have their freedom taken from them, yes?"

"I... did not mean prisoner, exactly, but yes, they are being held. The way Qunari see re-education is different from how those outside of the Qun see it. It is seen as enlightening them."

"But the Tal-Vashoth are not Qunari. Is it your job to kill and detain them? You said they are problems. And your name means 'to solve.'"

"I hunt the ones who have turned to violence. They attack defenseless travelers because they do not know anything else but violence. Those are the ones I am sent for."

"And those who are not violent, who wish to produce Vashoth with their mate and live out a quiet life, free from the Qun?"

"I do not pursue them. That is not my purpose. They are not a problem that needs to be solved."

"So, if you happened across one, you would not try to catch and reform them?"

"No, that is not my mission here. It would be a waste of our time."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Curious, and aware the concept of the Qun bothered her greatly, he asked, "What would you have said if I did pursue peaceful Tal-Vashoth?"

"I would have said that if we meet any who escaped the Qun to live free and peaceful lives, you would have to go through me to get to them. I would become dangerous to you as you are dangerous to them." She did not like the thought of having to fight him. She knew she would lose. But she would not stand idly by while innocents were murdered.

Tallis grunted, looking over at her. She was brave to stand up to him and to protect a stranger's freedom. She was principled, even if her views did not align with the Qun. "I would not want that. If we meet any peaceful Tal-Vashoth, know I will not raise my blade to them. Not unless they resort to violence."

"They may think you are there to kill them."

"I would use diplomacy first. I cannot guarantee their survival if they pursue combat."

"That is fair," she said and let the discussion come to an end. She did not want to betray him, but the more she learned about the Qun, the more she questioned just how much she could trust him. He did not sound Qunari based on how he described their beliefs, but just because he was polite and calm didn't mean he wasn't capable of betraying her either. She was still bas-saarebas, even if she saved his life. 

He could tell she was uneasy, but he wasn't sure exactly why, unless it was the Qun as a whole that did not sit well with her. "I am not used to having someone travel with me who is like you," he said. 

"A mage?" 

He grunted, "Yes. But that is not what I meant."

"An elf?" 

"...Yes, but I meant how you are. How you think and speak. You are honest. You are true to who you are."

"Don't you mean you think I am stubbornly uncivilized?" she asked, looking up at him. "You said the Qunari see those that don't follow the Qun as wandering blindly. Do you think of me that way?" 

"I am not like most Qunari. I do not think the Qun is superior, but it is something that some desire. So, no, I do not think of you in that way. You have given me much to think about. I am glad for it."

She smiled, reminded and relieved that he was not as devout to the Qun as he made it sound like he was supposed to be. Because he had spent so much time away from Par Vollen, exposed to other people, she thought. And she knew his question about what she would do if he were to pursue an innocent was hypothetical to learn more about her. He was not a murderer. "I appreciate your company too, Tallis. I didn't know anything about Qunari before meeting you. What do you wish to know about me?"

He had many questions, but considering how heavy their conversation was, he asked, "What do you do for entertainment while on your travels, besides save near-death Qunari?"

She grunted this time, trying to think of something fun. "I learned to read in the alienage, but it wasn't always entertaining. It was challenging. It's been a long time since I've read a book though. Most of what I do isn't for entertainment, it's for learning and surviving. Like blending herbs and potions." 

Tallis' eyebrows raised, "I have an interest in herbs and alchemy as well. The Vitaar that nearly killed you is something all Qunari learn to make. But I am interested in more. I once made an explosive device that created a blinding light."

"Poisons and explosives," Sancia chuckled, "That sounds like the hobby of an assassin. I see the Vitaar on your belt. When do you plan to wear it again?"

"Not until I plan to see combat," he said. "I also learned how to create a salve with euphoric effects."

"Now that is something I would like to learn how to make. And you just reminded me of something I do for fun," she said, hesitant to confess. "Sometimes I chase nugs."

"Nugs?"

"They're all over Ferelden. Those little piggy-rabbit looking things."

Tallis chuckled at the thought. 

"They're friendly, which makes them quite stupid when it comes to dealing with humans, and they have very poor eyesight. I find them injured often, usually after they've escaped a hunter's trap. The first time I caught one, I planned to eat it, but I couldn't do it. I ended up making a salve and a splint for its stubby little leg. I only eat nug jerky somebody else has cut and dried. I won't eat them otherwise."

Tallis smiled, amused, finding her compassion endearing. He figured he might have to stick to finding berries and nuts for them to snack on instead of hunting if they didn't come across a town soon. "That is similar to a game we would play as a part of our exercises. We did not chase nugs, but we did chase each other." He dropped her bag on the ground and jogged ahead of her to put some space between them before challenging, "Catch me if you can." 

Sancia laughed, "A child's game! All right. I'll play." She gave chase with a burst of speed, but he quickly turned and ran for a set of trees, disappearing between them. She was surprised to lose sight of him so quickly and knew he must have cheated with stealth. He was an assassin, after all. While she had never met one in the past, she knew what they were capable of. They could blend into the shadows like the air itself, becoming all but invisible. She stopped and listened, turning her head to try to notice movement without creating any sound of her own. 

Tallis moved around her, stepping carefully back toward the road, but even avoiding the crunchy leaves, an unseen twig snapped underfoot. He froze, inwardly cursing his error, but as soon as Sancia turned toward the sound, he started running. He was confident he could lose her again in his stealth, if he just crossed the road to lose her in the other line of trees. 

The footfalls were ahead of her, moving farther away, but she predicted where they were landing, even if she couldn't see them, and summoned an oil slick ahead of her. Tallis slipped and fell on his back. Losing his stealth, he grunted as his horns pierced the soft soil, jarring him. 

Sancia laughed, though she felt a little bad about it. Bad about laughing, that is. She didn't feel bad about summoning the oil slick. If he was going to cheat, so would she. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall," she teased. 

Tallis grunted as he tried to stand, hugging the nearby tree to prevent the further embarrassment of slipping and falling again. "To predict where I would go is not an easy thing to do. Although... I'm usually better at sneaking around than that..."

Careful to avoid his horns caked in soil, she hopped up on his back when she caught up to him, nearly sending him off balance again. "Got you!" 

Tallis chuckled and looked back at her with a smile, "When you catch me you're supposed to run away. Not turn me into your horse." 

"I do not like being chased." 

"You can be the pursuer at all times then. It will be good exercise for me." 

Sancia smiled as she wiped the soil off his horns and brushed it out of his hair. "Before you snapped that twig, I was beginning to think you had decided to play Hide and Seek instead. I never would have found you." 

"I am sure you would have figured something out," he said, taking a long step out of the oil slick with one arm outstretched in front of him and the other holding her leg at his side. 

"Perhaps my veil fire could cast your shadow in the dark," she said, resting her chin on his shoulder as he carried her on his back toward their abandoned belongings. 

He hadn't thought of how magical fire might affect him. "We should find this out when we have a chance." 

"Tonight then." 

"Do you wish to remain on my back?" he asked, bending over to pick up her bag. "You are light, and I do not mind." 

She released him and landed on her feet. "No, that's all right. If there was a sudden sound to the right of us, I may end up injured," she said, imagining him turning his head to the right and goring her with his horns. 

"I would trust you to be my eyes in that case. The offer remains open if you get tired," he said, confident he could walk for days if they needed to cover more ground. 

"Thank you, Tallis." Sancia walked beside him, the gravity of their earlier conversation left on the road behind them. His playfulness was refreshing and entirely unexpected.

They hadn't been following the road long before they encountered a caravan stopped ahead of them. "Merchants?" Tallis thought aloud.

"Let's hope," Sancia muttered with unease, accustomed to avoiding the main roads for fear of running into bandits that preyed on traveling merchants. 

As they came closer to the caravan, they could see a man lying on the ground and two women on their knees beside him. Sancia wondered for a moment if the man had a heart attack or some kind of fit, but then the others came into view. They had been on the other side, going through their things. 

"Thieves," Tallis said and looked down at Sancia. "We should stop them."

If she were alone, she would have given them a wide berth, but with Tallis there, she trusted they could intervene without great risk to themselves. "How many are there? I see two, but there must be more."

"Five. I see their boots on the other side of the wagon, and one standing further away, keeping watch on the other side of the road. They do not see us yet." 

She thought they really were distracted not to notice the giant coming up on them, even if they were still out of ear shot. "How do we proceed?"

"I will step into the shadows and sneak around to the four on the other side of the wagon. You get the attention of the one on this side."

"Okay. Go." She lost sight of him as soon as she agreed to his plan and hoisted the bag up over her shoulder that he had set down beside her. She held her staff at her side, prepared to cast a bubble around herself or one of the human merchants the bandits might try to take hostage. As her feet carried her closer to the wagon, she wasn't sure exactly what she was going to do, having always avoided being in this position before. 

"Look what we have here, boys. An elf," the bandit keeping watch over the merchants said. 

One of the men that had moved around the back of the wagon grinned as he set down a box of goods. "What is it, knife ear? You want to donate to our charity?"

Sancia cleared her throat and said, "I want you to return what you stole from this nice family, or I will set you on fire."

"Are you with the Inquisition?" the older woman asked, "Help!"

"Set us on fire?" the first bandit scoffed, "I think you're shittin' us is what you're doing."

Another bandit from the other side came around, holding a club. "It's just an elf. Take her bag."

The moment the bandit stepped toward her, she blasted him with the end of her staff, catching his sleeve on fire. It was harmless compared to what she could have done, but it was taken as more than the warning it was intended to be.

"What the bleedin' nug hell!?" the bandit panicked, clapping at the superficial flame on his arm. 

"She's a mage!" the bandit with the club yelled back at his companions. 

The second bandit brandished a sword, but Sancia didn't move. "This is your last chance," she said. 

"Kill her," the bandit commanded, but as soon as the words left his lips, he cried out in pain from the dagger driven into his back. The lookout and the other bandit that had been behind the wagon, out of view of Sancia, started to follow the bandit leader's orders, but they stopped short at the sight of him falling. 

Tallis wrapped his arm around the bandit with his sword drawn and held his dagger to his throat, stepping out of the shadows so they could see him. He lifted his sword to the neck of the other bandit, within arm's reach. "Drop all of your weapons." 

The bandits were too dumbfounded to fight and dropped their arms. "Wha'-- who are you?" 

"Help this one up," Tallis said, lifting his dagger away from the throat of the bandit he held so he could stop his leader from bleeding out. "Then join the other three." 

As Sancia helped the family to their feet, the older woman took her hands and kissed them, "Thank you. Thank you!"

Sancia slipped her hands away, unfamiliar with the gracious gesture, and assured her, "You're welcome. You're safe now."

Tallis circled the group of bandits, cutting their coin purses from their belts, and tossed the coins onto the pile of the bandits' weapons. "We are with the Inquisition, and this road is under its protection," he lied. "Remember this."

The younger woman looked up at Tallis as she tended to her injured father. "You're a Qunari like the Iron Bull. Do you work with him?"

Sancia looked at Tallis quizzically, "The Iron Bull? What is that in Qunlat?" 

"I have heard of him. He is known as Hissrad among the Qunari and is working with the Inquisition. But he is Ben-Hassrath like me," he said and looked at the young woman, recognizing her sexual curiosity by her bashful smile and the way her eyes traveled everywhere but his face. He had piqued the interest of Rivaini women before, but they had been used to seeing Qunari around. He could tell this girl had never seen a Qunari before, but her initial reaction to seeing him made him wonder how the Iron Bull had influenced her in such a way. "I do not work with him." 

The injured bandit looked around at the hesitant faces of his crew and spoke up, "You have our weapons and our money. Will you let us go?"

"That depends on whether you plan to continue to attack travelers or not," Tallis said, glaring at the bandit. He wouldn't hesitate to kill them if it would end the problem they pose and the risk to innocents passing through. 

The bandit standing behind the others stepped away from them, holding his hands up, "No! Never again! I'll go back to being a fisherman, I swear!"

"Y-yeah, we ain't gonna hurt anybody," another answered. "We weren't gonna hurt them neither."

"Liar!" The young woman wrapped her arm around her father. "You hit my father over the head with that club of yours!"

"He tried to gut me!" the bandit yelled back. 

"Would've served you right, stealing our hard work!" 

Tallis exchanged looks with Sancia. He believed the bandits, but he knew how dangerous they could become if they were starving. Still, he could see Sancia preferred to set them free. "Leave and tend to your wounded. We are being lenient with you today, but we won't forgive you if we see you committing banditry again."

"That's it? You're letting them go?" the young woman asked, surprised. 

Sancia leaned on her staff. "One of them has a burned arm and the other is bleeding. What more do you want?"

"We are taking their weapons and belongings. We could take their clothing too," Tallis offered.

"What? But it's cold out here!" the bandit whined.

"Then leave and return to a normal life, or pledge yourself to the inquisition if you are that desperate," Tallis suggested. After the bandits ran off, he had second thoughts about whether they should have been eliminated. "What do you think?" he asked Sancia.

"I do not like to take lives. They are thieves, but they did not kill these people."

He grunted, nodding, "Then we made the right choice."

"I do not know how I can repay you two," the old man said and turned to his daughter. "Get them a wheel of cheese."

Sancia followed the young woman to the front of the caravan curiously. "Tell me about this Iron Bull."

"He is really intimidating when you first see him," she said and lowered her voice. "But I have heard that he is as good a lover as he is a fighter. He's even bigger than your friend there."

Sancia hadn't expected that after what Tallis told her of Qunari practices, but she remembered him mentioning the Tamassrans turning a blind eye. "And this Iron Bill is with the Inquisition?"

"Yes, he's the leader of a mercenary group. But I thought you were with the Inquisition. You haven't even heard of him?"

"We are on our way to Skyhold for the first time," Sancia confessed. 

"Oh," she smiled, appreciative of their quick thinking, not that they even needed the Inquisition's name to intimidate the bandits with Tallis there. "They came through the crossroads a few times. They're all really nice, surprisingly. Not what you expect from mercenaries. But the Iron Bull... He is quite impressive. Do all Qunari have a sexual appetite as big as the Iron Bull's?"

Sancia stared at her for a moment. She didn't know all Qunari or even the Iron Bull for a reference of comparison, but she saw the young woman looking past her at Tallis. "I wouldn't know."

"Oh, I thought you two were involved," she said, a little embarrassed by her presumption. "I am curious about him." 

"How would you satisfy your curiosity under your father's nose?" Sancia asked, following her line of sight behind them, where Tallis was offering the old man the weapons and all but one of the coin purses.

The girl laughed nervously, "I think I will just stick to my fantasies. If he is like the Iron Bull, I don't think I could handle him. I certainly wouldn't be able to stay silent." 

Sancia blushed at the young woman's candidness and felt just uncomfortable enough to change the subject. "Have you ever seen a Qunari woman?" 

"No. Do you think they are as big? They must be," the young woman said and handed her a giant wheel of cheese.

"I imagine so." 

Tallis waited behind the rear wagon with the old man. "Where are you traveling to?"

"Redcliffe," he answered. "I'm sorry we don't have a chess board for you, young man."

"The cheese is appreciated. Travel carefully," Tallis said and walked with Sancia once she rejoined him with the cheese wheel. They continued down the road, heading west. "What were you two talking about?" 

"I asked her about this Iron Bull with the Inquisition. I couldn't tell whether she has met him or only heard things, but she said he has passed through, and she seemed quite enamored with him."

"I'm sure his reputation as a warrior precedes him. I have heard that he is extremely good at speaking with those outside of the Qun. He fits in well."

"Yes... well... it wasn't his reputation as a warrior that she was talking about. He has a reputation among women."

"I have heard rumors that he is bending the rules, but he is still fulfilling his duties as Hissrad. I wasn't sure how much of it was true. But I am guessing all of it. Now I know why women here aren't as frightened of me as I thought they would be." 

"So, is the Iron Bull his name? Or is it another title? Are you allowed to have another name?" 

"That is the name he goes by as a mercenary. He is allowed to call himself what he pleases if he keeps to his purpose."

"And he is allowed to sleep with as many women as he wants as long as he keeps to his purpose? What else is he allowed to do? Whatever he wants so long as he keeps to his purpose?" Sancia asked, unsettled. She thought it sounded as though he could harm as many innocent outsiders as he wanted because they were not considered equal to the Qunari, like how the humans treated elves or how the templars treated mages.

"If he wishes to sleep with many women, it is not looked down upon within the Qun. He is allowed to use whatever tools he needs to in order to fulfill his purpose. He is not allowed to do whatever he pleases though. He cannot go and murder an entire village. One who does such a thing would be seen as unfit for duty."

"And what purpose would his promiscuity serve?" Sancia asked defensively.

"Does it offend you that he lays with many women?"

"It does not offend me if all of the women he lays with consent to it. But I can't help wondering how many women are left rearing his child. And the Qun would allow this because he is without loyalty or emotional attachment to them? Because he is just using them as objects for sexual release?"

"If he is to the point of overindulging and not just relieving his sexual tension then he is pushing the limits of the Qun and could be breaking the tenets of it."

"Who is to gauge his sexual tension but him? The way you've described the Qunari view of outsiders, we are savages. And it sounds like it is open to abuse when outsiders are concerned, especially if the Qunari view themselves in a position of power. So long as he keeps it to himself, since he is trusted implicitly to keep to his purpose."

"Qunari view outsiders as inferior in the way that teachers view their students. The Qun seeks to educate and liberate them. That is what we are taught. We do not abuse them. A Qunari who would do something like that is in need of re-education."

Sancia appreciated his patience with her when she'd insulted the honor of his philosophy more than once with her questions. She could hear the rising passion in her voice and calmed herself. "I have a very jaded perspective," she confided softly. "Forgive me."

Tallis looked down at her, studying her face and wondering what she experienced in her life to create her outlook. He understood those who were not within the Qun viewed the teachings much differently than those who had dedicated their lives to it. "There is nothing to forgive, Sancia. I know that you have not been raised within the Qun and have not been in the company of any Qunari before. You only have what you have lived to relate things to. Discipline is expected from all Qunari. This self-control is due to how violent some may get. This is why sex is viewed as fulfilling a need. It releases pent up energy and relaxes the mind and body. It is not permitted to just take it."

She was relieved to hear that and she believed it from him, particularly the discipline, since she felt she had pushed some boundaries with him already in voicing her displeasure in the Qun. But she didn't necessarily believe it about everybody else. She looked down at the heavy wheel of cheese in her hands, reflecting on her feelings. Why was she so angry about the Iron Bull and Qun when it had no bearing on her? 

"Should we sell this?" she asked. "We already have cheese."

"We should not be far from this crossroads the merchant told me about. Another day. Perhaps two. We can sell it there."

The crossroads, she thought, where the Iron Bull and his mercenaries pass through. How many more women, she wondered, would turn their eyes on Tallis with lust and curiosity? Sancia nearly rolled her eyes at herself for caring. It did not matter.


	4. Ataashi

Sancia awoke on Tallis' back and turned over with a yawn, so she still lay on top of him, facing the canopy of trees overhead. She stretched, arching her back so her bottom pressed against his and her weight rested on her shoulders in the middle of his back. As she went to rub the sleep from her eyes, she stopped short, squinting. "Ugh, my hands smell like that cheese wheel. Can we leave it?"

With his eyes still closed, Tallis asked, "Are you sure you wish to part with a perfectly good cheese wheel?"

She stared up at the light filtering in through the leaves thoughtfully. "Do you want to eat it for breakfast? It won't upset your stomach, will it? I've learned some people cannot tolerate it. Tevinters, maybe."

"I should be okay to eat it. I did know a human who could not have cheese or milk. He almost gave away our position with his stench."

Sancia crinkled her nose. "If it does make you sick, I can help. I have elfroot in my pack. It's a cure-all blended with the right herbs."

"You talk of using herbs to cure it, but you have magic that heals wounds. Can your magic not heal a stomach ache?"

"My magic can take away the discomfort, but as long as it is still in your system... well... you might still have a stench. You just won't feel it. It would be like trying to heal an arrow wound without removing the arrow."

Tallis considered this and opened his eyes to stare at the raised roots of the tree in front of him. "At least you would be able to function properly in combat. The stench may even serve as an extra weapon to disorient the enemy."

Sancia chuckled, "So long as it doesn't go running down your leg."

Tallis grunted in agreement. "How did you learn to heal with herbs?"

"I assisted the healers in my clan before they sent me away. They taught me herbalism. Many ailments can only be healed by magic and others only by herbs." She reluctantly rolled off his back, aware she was keeping him down and perhaps it was time to continue their journey. 

He found himself disappointed at the weight lifting off his back and stood up dutifully. "Tell me more about what you remember of your clan while we walk? I have met few elves and those I have met were of the Qun," he said, fastening his armor on.

"I remember they were like family. They taught me everything. But there were some traditions I could not follow. They are very strict about their traditions. To say I did not believe in the Creators and that I did not want to honor them was to renounce our culture," Sancia said as she picked up her bag and nodded toward the cheese wheel. "Last chance." 

Tallis eyed the cheesewheel and picked it up. He took out a knife and sliced off a piece as they walked. "It sounds similar to the Qun. Those who do not believe become Tal-Vashoth and leave. It means True Grey One. Many of them seek to kill all Qunari they meet. Do your people have those who act in such a way?"

"Not that I know of, but I am not the best person to ask. My clan never encountered any such elves. And though I may not be considered Dalish anymore, I have great respect for the Keepers and what they do."

"The Keeper educates?"

"Yes. The Keeper passes on all of the history and traditions of our people. We had a storyteller in our clan who would recount history lessons to the children and tell the tales of the Creators, but the Keeper is the clan leader. She is tasked with retaining whatever cultural artifacts we find and passing on the elvhen language. She is also a mage. She teaches any who come into magic how to control it."

"She is a mage? That is interesting. That could never happen within the Qun. But you said she also teaches the mages how to control their magic. That is good," he said, thinking perhaps the saarebas would be better in their role if they were treated in such a way. But Tamassrans were not equipped to teach a saarebas magic. 

"The Keeper appoints her First, who follows her closely and learns all that she has, so when she passes away, the First becomes the Keeper, and so on."

"Are all Keepers women as all Tamassrans are?"

"No. My Keeper was, but every clan's Keeper depends upon their ability. My clan also had more than one apprentice. I expect she taught them what I knew of healing magic so they could take over as the healers when I left."

"I see why you had to leave, but they lost a valuable member of the clan. Would you start your own clan?"

"It is not that simple. I do not have all the knowledge of a Keeper, and since I do not honor their traditions, I would not lead a Dalish clan. If I had a clan, we would just be seen as outsiders, inferior and disconnected from our culture. The Keepers of clans also consider themselves of the purest blood. I may share that blood, but it means little to me. I am more interested in the present than the past."

Tallis nodded, processing and understanding her. He looked up when he heard a loud thunderous clapping sound and spun around to see the silhouette of a dragon flying in the distance. His eyes widened at the sight of the gold and gray giant as it quickly closed the distance from behind the mountain. "Ataashi!" he shouted excitedly, pointing at it, though Sancia couldn't have missed it as it drew closer. 

"Holy shit," she gasped.

Tallis looked back at her, surprised to hear her speak foul language, and laughed. "It is landing somewhere in the forest there, near the mountain!" He took off running in the direction of it and Sancia followed. 

"So you chase after it!?" 

"It's Ataashi! I have never seen one up close!" 

"You know if he decides to eat one of us, he'll probably choose you!"

He stopped behind a tree when he heard the heavy thudding of the dragon's clawed feet and the scrape of its tail dragging across the ground behind it. He peered around the tree to see the dragon tearing apart and eating a ram. "She has golden scales! Look, she's fully mature."

"Do you think they have to land to defecate or can they do it while flying, like birds? Can you imagine a dragon flying overhead and dropping one on your house? It'd probably cave in the entire roof and kill everybody inside."

Tallis seriously considered what she just said. "That is entirely possible, but I believe she would have to land in order to defecate."

"Right, or else we would have heard stories about people dying to dragons dropping fecal bombs on their houses by now." 

"They are rare and stay away from populated areas. They most likely would not fly directly over a town or city. But it would be interesting to see."

Sancia chuckled at Tallis' childlike fascination, noticing the break in his consistently stoic expression. "That would be a terrible way to go out, too. Suffocated and crushed under thousands of pounds of steaming dung. And that's how everyone would remember you. You'd be the guy who was crushed by dragon poop. The only one in history." 

Tallis stifled a laugh, stepping back behind the tree as the dragon turned his head. "At least you would be known throughout history. Not many can say the same."

"Uh, Tallis? How strong of their senses? Like, nugs are practically blind. Maybe dragons are hard of hearing?"

He whispered, "They have excellent senses. Stay behind the tree." 

She poked her head out just enough to look and saw the dragon crouched as it moved closer in their direction. "I-I think we should run."

He quickly glanced at the dragon and, as much as he wished to observe it more, they'd been noticed. "Yes, running would be wise." He followed her in the direction from which they came, careful not to run ahead of her. 

"Where are we going!?"

"Stay in the trees!" The loud flapping of wings generated strong winds that rustled the leaves, causing them to rain down overhead. Tallis grabbed Sancia around the waist to stop her when he noticed the dragon stop overhead. Suddenly a group of trees ahead of them exploded in fire. He looked around and saw rocks at the base of the mountain. "We might find a cave!" He led her toward the base of the mountain, keeping his eyes up for the dragon's whereabouts. The dragon roared, causing their bodies to reverberate from the strength of the sound, and a stream of flame came down in a line behind them. "This way!" Tallis shouted. 

Sancia was beginning to feel the burn in her thighs and lungs from running harder than she had in months, but she could hear the flapping overhead and see the movement of the trees sway underneath the force of the dragon's wings as it lowered itself into the woods, snapping branches under its weight. The fire that engulfed the forest as it landed buried them in smoke. "Tallis!" 

His heart was racing with fear and excitement, his whole body buzzing with adrenaline, but he spun around at the panicked sound of her voice and realized he lost sight of her. The thick black smoke filled his lungs, wracking him with a coughing fit, but he ran back toward the sound of Sancia's voice, nearly colliding with her as they both ran blindly. He hoisted her up over his shoulder, catching sight of the dragon behind them, swiping at trees and breaking them in half with loud cracks. 

His metal pauldron dug into her ribs, but Sancia let him carry her as she tried to catch her breath, staring at the dragon behind them as it gave up the chase on the ground and jumped into the air to fly over them again. She cried out in a panic when it spit a fireball at them. It splattered nearby enough that a chunk of liquid fire sizzled through Tallis' leather vest. He hissed at the pain and ran straight ahead for the cave in the face of the mountain. 

They weren't fifty feet away from the entrance when a fireball hit the side of the mountain above them. Tallis didn't slow, dodging falling rocks as they landed all around them. Sancia squeezed her eyes shut, sure a rock was going to land squarely on her head and kill her. He only slowed his pace when they reached the cave entrance so he could duck his head down. He felt her slipping from his shoulder and carefully set her down inside ahead of him. Panting, he stabilized himself against the wall with both hands, suddenly aching from the smoke inhalation and the burning ember that struck his lower back. 

Sancia looked back at him and urged him to follow with a wave of her hand, "The dragon is still close enough to roast you." He followed her deep inside the cavern and dropped her bag of belongings once they reached the end. 

"Looks like we're turning in early tonight," she said, lighting a veil fire in the center of the small, dank room. She lifted the cap from the waterskin and drank, soothing her parched throat before handing it over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," he grinned and drank. "We survived the wrath of the ataashi." She moved behind him to inspect the burn and pressed her hand to it, but he lifted her hand away by the wrist. "Leave it. I will endure this wound with great pride. If it leaves a mark then it is an honor."

She smiled, surprised at how happy he was to be wounded. "As you wish."

He was pleased she understood and removed his armor and vest. He looked over at her, coming down from the high, and noticed her holding her ribs. "Are you unharmed?"

"I'm okay," she said and resisted the urge to heal herself. The glow of her hand would give her away. 

Tallis accepted her answer, though he suspected she was lying. "Today was good," he said, sitting down by the veil fire. "We had our first ataashi experience together." 

His happy tone had Sancia smiling too, despite her bruised ribs. "Did it work up an appetite?" She opened her bag and offered him some of the Par Vollen seasoned meat they took from the crate. 

"Yes. We will celebrate this properly when we get to Skyhold," he said, considering their bond over the experience. 

"How will we do that?"

"I don't know. We have a long journey ahead of us to think of how to celebrate an ataashi encounter."

Sancia sat down across from him and stretched her hands toward the flame. "I'm still coming down from the adrenaline rush of almost dying. I didn't know there were dragons out here."

"The Arishok told us of his encounter with dragons here, but I did not think I would see one myself."

She thought about when he would return to Par Vollen, excitedly telling the story of the ataashi to his fellow Qunari, and wondered if he would mention her or keep her existence a secret. She was glad she was here to experience the encounter with him, not only because she did get to see a dragon up close but because she knew he would never forget the dragon and, by extension, her. "Let's hope she doesn't seal us inside this cave with one of her giant poops out of spite for escaping her clutches."

"If she did that, then the smart thing to do would be to wait until it hardens enough for us to break through it. By then she should give up waiting and leave."

"I was thinking the dung heap would be more of a 'Well, if I can't eat you, at least I can still kill you' kind of move. Strategically speaking, I think you'd have to dig it out while it's still warm and soft. You'll be disguised in her scent, she wouldn't want to eat you, and being covered in the excrement of the ataashi should fill you great stinky pride," she grinned. 

Tallis was seriously weighing his options as she posed her hypothetical situation, taking it seriously until she finished. "You mock me," he said, cracking a smile. "You express yourself like a pirate from Llomerryn."

She chuckled, "I'm just teasing. And a pirate? I've never even been aboard a boat." 

"I do not like being on ships. The constant motion makes me ill, but sometimes one must bear it in order to complete the mission."

She crawled around the veil fire to sit beside him and said, "Tell me more about these pirates from Llomerryn."

"Llomerryn is an island in Rivain where many pirates and criminals seek refuge. They are very expressive when it comes to words. The Felicsima Armada... or, as they are more well known, The Raiders of the Waking Sea, use this port as their home."

"So, you think I sound like a criminal?"

"I think you are expressive like one who is not concerned with what others think of you."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. I like you this way. I have never met an elf who would mock a Qunari. You are not what I expected. And I am curious, am I what you expected of a Qunari?"

"Yes, I suppose you are," she said, resting her chin in her hand and her elbow on her knee. "The only thing I had heard of Qunari is that they are giants with horns. You are taller than any human I have ever seen. And you do have horns."

"So there was little chance of disappointing your expectations."

"You do not disappoint me at all," she said, bumping him with her shoulder. "And were I not with you, I would not have seen a dragon up close. Let's just hope she is gone in the morning. I wouldn't even make a good snack."

"If she is out there when the morning comes, I shall lure her away so that you may escape."

"Not a chance. I didn't pull you out of the water to see you eaten by a dragon."

"And I did not save you from poison so that you would be burnt into ash."

"Then, I guess we will just stay in the cave until she gets bored."

"If she isn't gone already."

She gave his shoulder a light head butt as she leaned into him, "Ready to lie down?" He smiled and turned to lay on his stomach, stopping only when Sancia moved to place a hide down for him first, and crossed his arms under his head as he watched the veil fire. Even though the sun had barely gone down, he suspected the aftermath of the excitement and exertion of energy on their way to the cave had exhausted her. 

Sancia was about to crawl onto his back when she saw the burn. She didn't want to hurt him, knowing it was still tender. Instead, she unrolled one of the hides and laid it down next to him before curling up beside him. "Tell me, where else have you traveled on missions?" He lifted his head and turned it to face her, surprised to see her on the ground instead of feeling her weight on his back. He was also surprised at the edge of disappointment he felt without her touching him, but having her face so close to his was just as soothing. Her eyes almost seemed to glow blue from the veil fire behind him reflecting on her irises. 

"Tallis?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. There was something intimate about the way he was looking at her, but she didn't want to read into it. He was still Qunari, after all. 

"I have only traveled to Seheron, Tevinter, and Rivain on missions," he answered, realizing he had been staring at her face, his attention stolen by her eyes. "Rivain was my favorite of the three. They do not like to keep us in Seheron for more than two years. Any longer and the stress of being there can be too much on the mind."

"Were you there for the full two years?"

"I was there for three. More than the limit but not enough to break me. Seheron makes this land seem like a land without worries."

"Why did you stay so long?"

"I was in pursuit of a Tevinter Magister who wiped out a village for a blood magic ritual."

She had never witnessed magic so powerful. "What kind of ritual requires that much life force behind it?"

"To this day I do not know, but considering the events taking place here, it must have had something to do with demons."

Sancia considered his hypothesis and asked, "Are you familiar with the Chantry's tales of the Black City?" 

"I am not familiar. Tell me."

"They say several Magisters learned how to enter the Fade in order to become gods. The spell required massive amounts of lyrium and the lives of hundreds. Those sacrificed were elven slaves. The Magisters corrupted the Golden City and they became the old gods whom the darkspawn worship."

"Perhaps this Magister was trying to perfect a spell for this great enemy the world now faces."

"Or perhaps he just wanted to become a god. That kind of spell power could summon a demon army or give him hundreds of years of longevity."

"He did not live beyond that year." 

"Is he the one that gave you your tree scar?" 

"Yes. I took the spell so I could drive my blade into his heart."

She couldn't see his scar with how he lay, but she thought about how painful it must have been. It was far larger than the mark she'd received on the beach from the Venatori mage. A blood mage that strong would have killed her with that spell. "Tell me more about Rivain. What's the food like?"

"The Rivaini enjoy spicy food. They are skilled at making fish into dishes. During my visit to Kont-aar, I ate grilled shark with potatoes and onion in a broth," he smiled, remembering it fondly. He had eaten it whenever he could. 

"Grilled shark? I've never had shark... or even seen a shark. And what about the climate? And the geography? Is it a humid jungle?"

"No. The air is cool. There are mountains along the eastern part of the land. Away from the shore there are farms with green grass. Rivain is almost entirely surrounded by water if not for the land connecting it to Antiva. The people there do not worship the god of this land. They also have a friendly relationship with the elves."

"What is your idea of friendly? Humans in Ferelden think they are friendly to elves because they do not keep slaves. People in Tevinter and Orlais think they are friendly to elves because they offer them slavery instead of poverty."

"They do not treat their elves as less. They exist peacefully alongside them. They are also similar to the Qunari in that they believe women are better in roles of governing than the men."

"And what about the mages?"

"They had a Circle that allowed the mages to live life as normal. I have heard that the women were trained to become seers which led their villages. Some of them talked with the spirits and allowed possession of their bodies. I do not know how it worked... and it was not long ago that their Circle was destroyed by the templars."

"Allowing possession sounds dangerous. But it sounds like mages live much better lives there than they do here."

"They do not fear mages as most do."

Sancia wondered if his experience of the Rivaini culture and their lack of fear toward magic was what opened his mind to traveling with her. Her eyelids were feeling heavy, but she wanted to hear more about his travels. Though she had walked all over Ferelden and much of Orlais, she had few exciting adventures to speak of, and she mostly traveled alone. "In all these other places you travel, do you keep non-qunari companions like me?"

"No. I may work with a bas for a short time, but I have never traveled with one like I do with you."

She smiled and reached over to free a strand of hair from one of his horns. "How have you worked with bas? Tell me a story."

He could see something in her eyes then, something he had seen the first time they took shelter in a cave together. The way she didn't break eye contact, how calm and trusting she was, even then. He had doubted his first instinct, considering the look on her face one of interest and curiosity, not attraction. He knew no elves, humans, or dwarves had eyes black like his. She had never seen a Qunari before. But she was looking deeper, communicating something else to him, and she had even that first night when she lifted the hide over his head. Whether she meant to show it or not, he could see she was attracted to him. 

But then he doubted himself again. It couldn't be attraction. Not after what she learned about the Qun and how she reacted to it. Never had a person's attraction served his mission, so, ordinarily, faced with a bas' interest in him, he would ignore it until it was mentioned and then he would explain why he could not pursue whatever it was they were interested in. It was harder to do with Sancia. The more difficult part was processing his own feelings toward her. It seemed the wisest course of action was to ignore them. 

"In Seheron, when I was tasked with the assassination of the Magister, I spent a week in a village befriending a merchant and his family. They were forced into being his personal delivery service. Under threat of death, they had to take food and supplies to him. He would meet them half way and pay them half of what the supplies were worth. I proposed a deal to them that I would rid them of the Magister and all they needed to do was provide me with an opportunity to strike."

"Did they survive?"

"Yes. I hid in the cart under a blanket. It would have been a boring trip if not for their daughter. She thought I was a two-legged dragon when she first saw me because of my horns. But her father quickly told her of what I was."

"You must have taken an immediate liking to her, being confused for a dragon."

"This is true. And she spent the entire time telling me stories of monsters and great knights. She said that I must be a knight because I was saving them."

Sancia chuckled, "That's cute."

"When we reached the meeting area, I listened closely. The father was to mention the Magister by name when he was near the cart. Unfortunately, the Magister sent one of his men to check the supplies. I knew I had to strike fast and accurate. I listened closely to the footsteps, metal and heavy. When he reached the side of the cart, I drove my daggers into his neck through the gaps in his armor. Then I leapt from the cart, and I was hit in the chest with an arrow, but it did not go deep. I was on the archer before he could try to loose another arrow, and I used his body as a shield against the magic from the Magister. He attempted to strike down the family by conjuring a lightning spell in their direction, but I moved faster than he could cast and I shielded them from the spell. It hurt, but it was not enough to stop me. I threw my dagger into his shoulder and finished him with my sword. I gave the family his money and covered up any evidence of them being there."

"I'm glad they survived. It would have been tragic for them to suffer more after having hope."

"Yes. The daughter really believed me to be a knight after that. I am a Ser in a village of Seheron."

"Did you carry her on your shoulders? Oh, wait." She smiled sheepishly and gripped his horn. "I suppose you couldn't."

He smirked at the weight of her hand on his horn. "I let her sit upon one of my shoulders."

Curiously she tested the tightness of one of the rings around his horns. "What are the rings for?"

"They are for decoration."

"I like them."

"We can also shape our horns as we grow. Since we do not feel pain in our horns, we can use tools to manipulate them."

"Is that what you did?"

"No. My horns grew in like this naturally. But I have kept them smooth."

She traced her fingertips over the length of his horn. "If you hadn't smoothed them, would they have the texture of a ram's horns? With the ridges?"

"Some do. Mine were not that pronounced." He closed his eyes, his skin soothed by a cool breeze that caused the veil fire to flicker and dance behind him. "Tell me something about your travels. Something happy."

"Well, I stumbled across this unconscious horned giant in the water and managed to get him breathing again..." Sancia didn't have many happy stories at the forefront of her mind. But meeting him truly was. 

He chuckled, opening one eye to look at her. "But aren't giants dangerous? What would make you want to save one?"

She smiled, "I didn't think he would be dangerous when he wasn't breathing. Of course, I was wrong. He almost killed me."

"I am certain it was not intentional. You are braver than most would be."

"I waited until the fighting was over. I did not think there was anything to fear. That is not brave."

"Then there is no mistaking that you are brave. Waiting until the fighting was over was smart. You know your limits. And you could have left me to die. You knew not what I would do when I woke up, and I am sure there are tales of the violent behavior of Qunari across this land."

"You are mistaken. I could not have left you to die."

Tallis opened his eyes to look at her gazing back at him and smiled. "Was there any hesitation at all?"

"Well, I did poke you with my staff first to see if you were responsive."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You poked me with your staff? Maybe it is a good thing that I was unconscious when you found me. I do not like to be rudely awakened." 

She could tell even behind his deadpan delivery that he was joking. If it were true, she was sure he would have been grumpier after she slept on his back at night. "I didn't prod you hard in the ribs, I just nudged your shoulder. What if I'd tried to turn you over and you thought I was attacking or looting you? But you didn't respond. And you are very heavy, so turning you over was no easy feat."

"Your caution was wise. I would not have attacked you knowingly but..."

"You were attacked. You could have blacked out. I would not have blamed you for thinking you needed to defend yourself."

He grunted quietly in agreement. "What has made you so good to strangers in need?"

"I was once a stranger in need."

"Did you receive help?"

"I did." She shivered at the cold breeze that blew through the cave and sat up to retrieve the fur from the pack. As she curled up underneath it, she healed her bruised ribs under the cover, and said, "The hahren of the Denerim alienage took me in. I had been shot with an arrow." She lifted the fur to point first to her side and then to her shoulder. "Twice. I could not stop to remove them. The bandits were following me. I could not fully heal myself with the arrow still inside me. Only enough to keep myself alive. Even after I'd lost them, I knew I would be easy to track if any of them were skilled hunters. I was deprived of sleep, I did not dare eat with an arrow in my gut, and I was too scared to stop running. I followed the road all the way to Denerim."

Tallis felt his skin prickle with rising heat and realized he was feeling angry at the thought of bandits attacking her. He felt protective of her and recognizing the feeling helped him calm down. There was no present threat to be dealt with. "What happened when you got there?"

"Nobody helped me right away. They saw me, but I was an elf surrounded by humans. It was a templar near the Chantry that showed concern and asked me what had happened. He took me inside and the sisters looked after me while they found a doctor to remove the arrows. I was delerious. I don't remember what I said. I knew I couldn't heal myself in their presence though. At least I was lucid enough to know not to do that." 

"Did they force you into the alienage?"

"After they removed the arrows and stitched the wounds, the templar escorted me there. He thought I was from there, I think. I did not say anything to him to make him think otherwise. I don't remember saying much of anything to him, except for 'bandits.' I did not know where to go, but the hahren--that is, the village elder--knew I was a stranger. He invited me into his home and asked me to tell him my story. He allowed me to stay in his house for weeks while I recovered." 

"Were the other elves as accepting there? Were you afraid? Or was there a feeling of comfort?"

"Mm," she grunted, contemplating the mixed feelings she had entering the alienage. "I was afraid of the place I was in, but there was some relief meeting the people there, I suppose. They were elves, but they were not like the elves I knew. Valendrian is the only one I told the truth to about being Dalish. He told me the others would not understand and might not even believe me. When asked where I was from by anybody else, I said I came from Orlais. Most of them knew nothing of Orlais. There was the occasional elf who wondered about my accent. I did not sound Orlesian. But I just continued to lie."

"That was smart. Your true past was of no consequence to these new elves. Would they have thought ill of you to know you were Dalish?"

"Most likely, yes. They might have even thought I was a cannibal."

Tallis found the divide between elves interesting. "What was life like there?"

"In Denerim? It was hard. There are not as many elves in a clan as there are in an alienage. My clan was like family. We all knew each other. The city elves pride themselves on their sense of community, but living in squalor in an enclosed part of the city full of rickety shacks was not a community I wanted to be a part of. And being so close to humans made me uncomfortable, especially when I had to leave the alienage to go to the market. Or when I started working."

Tallis thought about how many elves in Qunari lands gladly joined the Qun, and he wondered if these elves would be quick to join too if it meant better living conditions. He knew he would never see Sancia join the Qun or anyone else that wouldn't allow her be herself. Though the Arishok might say her viewpoint was one that dictated the importance of the individual over the importance of the whole community, he knew Sancia cared about the treatment of elves, the treatment of mages, and the treatment of women. She was not only concerned about herself but the whole. 

"How long did you stay and how old were you when you finally left? It does not sound like you would want to remain there for long."

"I was sixteen years old when I left my clan. I remained in Denerim for five years. I was there during the uprising, the purge, and the landsmeet. After the blight ended, I left." 

"You were young," he said, calculating her age in his head. She was older than him by one year, but he would have thought she was younger. Perhaps, he considered, it was because she was an elf. They tended to remain youthful looking longer. Qunari, with their white hair, were probably mistaken for being older. "What did you do for work?" He wondered what skills she employed, being a natural healer. 

"I worked in the Arl of Denerim's kitchen. I cooked, mostly. Sometimes they would task me with cleaning or doing laundry or emptying chamber pots if they were short-handed."

"You mentioned the Arl's son when we first met."

She remembered him asking about her scars and hesitated. 

"You do not wish to speak of him," he said, reading her expression and the change in her breathing. Just the thought of the man made her anxious, he could tell. 

"He was a sadistic man. The family paid their servants well. That is the only reason we stayed. The longer we endured, the sooner we could leave for good. Vaughan was especially cruel to the women. He would not hesitate to kill a man, but a woman, he would rather draw out her pain. I would set fires in the kitchen just to distract him away when he came for me. My magic saved me many times." 

Tallis grunted, "Someone like him has no use in this world. Maybe he would have a place in Tevinter." He knew Qunari could be harsh but the way of the Qun was never cruel for the sake of it. People like Vaughan disgusted him. "Is he the one that gave you your marks?" 

"Not this one," she said, tracing her finger over the most prominent scar that traveled from her forehead down her cheek. "But these, yes." She lifted her chin and turned her head, tracing the scar along her jaw. "He cut me with the knife I was using to slice carrots. He did not like how thick I was cutting them. He bent me over the counter to punish me, but I caused the stew to boil over. It was landing in the fire, creating black smoke. So, he cut me instead and told me to clean it up." She pointed at the short scar going across her forehead. "He slammed my head into the wall. There was too much blood for him to continue playing his game with me. He sent me home. I did not heal myself because I figured they would notice if my cuts did not scab or scar, if they just weren't there the next day. I did not want to be taken away by the templars." 

Tallis didn't take his eyes from her face, examining the scars and imagining the strength the man would have had to use to make the marks so deep. He wondered about the rest, but he did not ask. "It is a wonder he still lives. He must have many enemies." 

"But he has more money." 

"Money can only protect you for so long. Some people just need the right person to want to kill them."

"A person who solves problems, perhaps?" Sancia smiled, remembering his offer the first day they met. 

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "That would be the right person. It would be a death that was for the good of many." 

Even with the offer he made, she would not deter him from his mission and risk his life. He needed to find the Grey Warden. "How will you get back to Par Vollen after your mission? Do the Qunari plan to send another ship?" 

"They will not send another dreadnought. There are always ways to get back to Par Vollen, even if I must travel to Rivain first."

She knew Denerim would be out of his way and decided not to ask if he would pass through. He might even prefer she not accompany him out of Skyhold after his mission was completed, so she tried not to think about what lay ahead. She was becoming far too comfortable with his presence, already to the point that she knew she would miss him terribly after he left. 

Tallis couldn't tell what she was thinking, but he could see some melancholy in her eyes. "You have been traveling on your own since the Blight ended? Ten years ago?"

"Yes." 

He wondered if it was lonely for her or more comfortable to be on her own, having felt confined by the expectations of others or struggling to find her place in each of the communities she found herself in. "Even though I have only known you for a short time, I would consider you Basalit-an. It means you are worthy of respect."

"Thank you, Tallis."

"Wear your marks with pride. It is a testament to your strength."

She hadn't considered them that so much as reminders of pain, hatred, and oppression, but she appreciated his intention more than she could say. "Good night, Tallis." 

"Good night, Sancia." 

She closed her eyes first, but she couldn't help opening them again to look at him. He might not have been asleep yet, but his breathing was becoming deeper, his body relaxed, and his eyes closed. She was cold without his body heat beneath her, even with the fur covering her up to her chin. She wondered what it would feel like to sleep under his arm with her back pressed against his stomach so his weight rested on her and his heat enveloped her. But she closed her eyes again, wiggling and curling her toes, numb from the cold, and wound herself up into a ball with her knees against her chest as she tried to tuck the fur in around her. 

She slept lightly that night and woke up at the break of dawn before Tallis did. Morning light dimly lit up the entrance of the cave, making the room only subtly brighter. She sat up and glanced over at Tallis, her eyes wandering from his face nestled in the crook of his arm to the glistening, red hole burned into his flesh on the lower right side of his back. She stood up quietly, light enough on her feet not to wake him, and retrieved the herbs from her pack to make a poultice. She settled down cross-legged beside him and ground her elfroot with a deep mushroom and fire crystal dust before mixing in a distillation agent. Once it had the consistency of a paste, she applied it directly to his wound. 

Tallis' eyes shot open when she applied the salve, aggravating his wound and causing it to burn again. He raised his head to look back at her. "The wound has not begun to fester, has it?"

"No. But I didn't want to chance it. This will help it heal faster and prevent infection, but it won't prevent the scarring."

"Why does it burn? Should it not feel cool?"

"I used fire crystal dust. It might seem counterproductive, but it is used in fire balms, which provide a resistance to fire. The heat will subside. It is good for the burn." 

He grunted understandingly and laid his head back down against his arm as she provided another layer of the poultice. "Your concern for my health is appreciated, Sancia."

"I should have asked," she said, realizing how rudely she woke him. 

"You are an adept healer. I trust your judgment," he said, comfortable with her making such decisions. 

She smiled, "I could have at least said 'Good morning' first. You're not going to be grumpy because I woke you up that way?" 

He let out a low chuckle, his voice still hoarse from sleep, "Making sure my wound does not become infected and turn to rot is more important than morning pleasantries. It tells me where your concerns lie and I approve."

Sancia retrieved what was left of their seasoned meats and cheese. "We don't have much left. We may need to slow down and hunt. If the dragon hasn't eaten them all, there were some wild rams nearby. Have you ever skinned one before?" 

"I have never had to kill and butcher a ram before. Have you?" He didn't picture her as someone who would have butchered something larger than a chicken.

"Yes. We do not waste," she said. "The Dalish teach all life is sacred and to be grateful for what we take. I will teach you. We will sell the pelt and the horns." As soon as she said it, she wondered if it would offend him to de-horn the animal, being a creature with horns himself. "Unless that would be a problem."

"No, it is good. Qunari do not waste either." 

She nodded, relieved he agreed, and rolled up their hides, securing them to her pack. "Has the burning stopped?"

He stopped to focus on the sensation, noticing the heat had gone away, leaving only numbness in its place. "Yes. It feels better," he said, taking her pack from her, and smiled. "Let's go find that ram."


	5. Selective Breeding

Sancia and Tallis followed the herd of rams west, finding them easy to track. Sancia asked Tallis to kill the old ram at the back of the herd. Her magic would not be quick enough, but she knew he would have a merciful hand so it would not suffer.

He helped her hang it by its back legs from a low tree limb, and she taught him how to skin, eviscerate, and butcher a beast. She was relieved to hear wolves howling, alerting the pack to intruders in their territory. She knew they would scavenge the leftovers. 

"Will the wolves attack us?" Tallis asked, examining the hide hanging to dry. Sancia had cleaned it of blood and membranes with a skillful hand. 

"Not likely," Sancia answered, digging through her pack with dried blood and dirt caked on her arms up to her elbows. She pulled up a jar from the bottom of her pack. "They will eat what we leave out. They will hunt for more. They will not hunt us unless we hunt them." 

He gave an approving grunt, "Nothing will go to waste." He noticed the jar was filled with a speckled golden hued substance. "Is that honey?" 

"With lavender buds," Sancia said as she stood up, leaving her bag by the fallen log he sat upon. 

"Are you going to season the meat with it?" He thought it would override whatever natural flavor the meat had if she used too much. 

"Oh, no. I use it to clean myself," she said, walking around the log toward the sound of running water. There was a creek nearby they couldn't quite see from where they set up camp. 

"You wash yourself with honey?" 

"And lavender. It drives away mosquitoes and other pests." 

"Smart. The smell of blood can have a lingering scent even after being washed. The honey and lavender will hide it well." 

"Come. You can have some too." 

Tallis thought she might have wanted privacy, but he followed her. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I am sure you noticed that we smell exactly as if we have not washed in days. Your sharing of your honey is appreciated." 

"I have. But your smell does not bother me." She had lived among the Dalish, whose earthy body odors became especially noticeable when they trekked across the continent with their aravels, and she lived among the city elves, whose diets were often poor and their bathing rituals less frequent and lacking in fine soaps. But Tallis, whether all Qunari shared a similar body odor, had an intriguing scent, unique to any others she had smelled coming from a person. It reminded her of a burnt forest days after the embers dried, right before a pouring rain. He smelled like smoke and water. 

"Neither does yours. I once met a dwarf who smelled of ale that had been sitting for days." 

"He was probably soaked in it," Sancia said. She was used to her own scent, reminded of flowers past their prime as they began to wilt, their scent once fresh and sweet, overridden by a dampened musk. It was subtle, and it was not pretty or pleasant, but the smell of browning petals was her nature. 

"Pickled, more like," Tallis said. 

"We haven't really slowed down since we left the Storm Coast. But we can't leave until that hide dries. The air is not too humid here. We should be able to take it with us tomorrow." She led him through the trees to the shallow creek. It wasn't deep enough for a bath, but there was still enough water to cup in her hands to rinse off the honey. She knelt down at the edge of the creek, set the jar beside her, and dipped her hands in the water. She scrubbed her arms to loosen the dirt and dried blood before opening the jar and scooping out some honey. 

Tallis watched her as she knelt, noticing the shape of her hips, how lightly she rested her bottom on the back of her heels, the bend of her spine, and the curve of her neck and shoulders. When he realized she caused his stare to linger, he instead examined the creek as he removed his armor and vest. Kneeling down beside her, he cupped his hands together in the water and poured it over his head before running his fingers through his hair. 

Sancia scrubbed the honey up over her arms and under her armpits before rinsing it away with water. She watched him after she finished, seeing his tree scar in broad daylight for the first time. She had only seen it by the light of veil fire before. And now she could see there were many more scars that adorned his flesh that had gone unmentioned. When he caught her eye, she held up the jar of honey for him. 

He scooped some out, but he tried not to take more than she had, and applied it to the areas he felt were most in need. He knew he was much bigger than she was, and he could use up the entire jar. "This smells good." 

"You can thin it out with water and spread it further," she said, dipping her hands in the water. She ran them over his arm, spreading the honey to cover more of his skin, and massaged out a spot of dried blood. 

He looked down at her, surprised by the tingling sensation she caused him with her touch. He knew what the feeling was, but he had never experienced it so easily from someone before. "Thank you," he said, following her example. "Where did you learn this? Is this something that elves created or did you create it yourself?" 

"The healer taught me to use it for burns and rashes. I also mix it into tea when I am sick. I always keep elfroot and honey on hand. But I like the way it smells, and it leaves my skin soft. The grains pull away dirt and dry skin," she said, replacing the lid on the jar. "I mix in the lavender myself. I find the scent soothing. And since I always have dried lavender on hand, I haven't been bitten by a mosquito in years." She stood up and brushed off her knees, noticing how tall Tallis was, even on his knees. "We smell much better now, don't we?" 

"We do," he said, sniffing himself. 

As he rinsed the honey off his skin, Sancia couldn't help thinking he was at the perfect height for her to braid his hair. She wondered how he would look with his hair pulled back, but she wasn't going to ask. "Shall we start a fire and cook some of that meat?" 

"Yes," Tallis said, returning her smile. He dressed and adjusted his armor before gathering kindling, wood, and rocks while Sancia created a rack out of branches to hang the meat for roasting. After he arranged the materials for the fire, before he could try to create a spark, she lit the twigs aflame. "I am still not used to that." 

"Does it bother you?" she asked, sitting on the fallen log. 

"Bother?" He thought about the word and shook his head. "No, but it does require adjustment of my instincts, to know it is not meant to harm me." 

"I will be sure to announce it next time," she said. "So that it does not surprise you." 

Tallis smiled, appreciative of how considerate she was, and examined the long, smooth stick she had chosen for hanging meat. He unsheathed his dagger to crave a point on one end. "You won't always have to. I recognize your abilities have more uses than destruction. Starting a fire by hand would have taken much longer. It is not an enjoyable task." 

Sancia remained seated on the log and watched him as he picked up the chunks of meat she had carved and slid them onto the stick. "I'm afraid I don't have any salt." 

"What matters is the energy this will give us," he said, carefully setting the end of the stick into the wedge created by the crisscrossed branches. He poured a conservative amount of water over his hand to rinse off the blood from the steaks and sat down on the log beside Sancia. He leaned forward as he reached back for his book tucked into his belt and opened it to read. 

Sancia sat in silence for a while, watching the meat as the end began to sizzle and brown, dripping juice into the fire. She blinked away the dryness in her eyes, stinging from how bright the fire was against the darkness cast from the canopy of trees. She snuck a peek at Tallis, absorbed in his book worn from having been dutifully read cover to cover over and over again. 

He was Ben-Hassrath, she reminded herself; he was Tallis, an assassin for the order of the Qun who enforced their laws. Yet, seeing him how he defined himself was too abstract compared to how she had come to know him. His words were incongruent with his actions, which was why she trusted him and believed him to be her friend. The practices of the Qun did not seem any stranger than what happened in other foreign places, but it still made her uneasy. The power over the individual and the complete lack of freedom turned her stomach. "Tallis?" 

He looked up from his book, and his eyes flitted to the steaks over the fire before he looked at her. "Yes? Is something wrong?" 

"No. I was just curious if... have you been 'bred'?" she asked, looking at him. The question must have seemed to come out of nowhere by the brief glimpse of surprise she caught break the stone-faced expression he usually wore. 

"I am of value outside of Par Vollen. I have not been selected. Why do you ask?" 

"I was just wondering how you would have felt about it had you been chosen." 

"I would have been doing my duty to help keep the Qun strong." He reminded her, "In the Qun, the self is not as important as the whole. We have come to accept this. Most of us." 

"I suppose it would be easier for the men to accept?" 

"I do not understand your question." 

"It is hard for me to imagine a woman carrying a child and not being able to nurture it after it is born." 

He took a moment to process her words and tried to consider her perspective, one he knew was shared by many, and gave a quiet grunt of understanding, "Qunari way of thinking and feeling is not the same as bas." 

"And any mother who thinks or feels differently is re-educated." 

"Not right away. It matters what she does. Some submit themselves for re-education. None are forced to breed." 

"But suppose she agrees to bear a child and after it is born, she desires to nurture it?" 

He had never really thought about that before. "True Qunari will submit themselves for re-education if they felt it would interfere with their ability to follow the Qun. This is a good question, Sancia." He enjoyed the conversations with her that made him think. "It is possible to be re-assigned under the Qun. If they submit themselves for re-education and the Ben-Hassrath determine they are suited for another role, they would be given that role. But if a mother wanted to become Tamassran solely to raise her offspring, she would be forbidden. Those who feel how you say probably keep it to themselves and become Tal-Vashoth." 

"But if they left the Qun, they would be leaving their child behind. Unless they took the child with them." 

"I am unaware of such incidents and none I have tracked were for that reason," he said. But he did consider such cases would be kept secret. Any dissent within the Qun was kept private between the few involved in re-educating or bringing in Tal-Vashoth. 

"Has a mother ever insisted she keep her child?" 

"Qunari children are not objects to be kept. Once they are born, they begin their journey to becoming a part of greater Qunari society. They belong to the Qun." 

Sancia tried to imagine if the Dalish clan functioned the same way -- if children were born and nurtured by a designated caretaker, never knowing who their parents were. That was the childhood she had experienced herself as an orphan in her clan, and she did not suffer for being without a mother or father, but witnessing the unique bond between mother, father, and child was something that caused her envy from a young age. Even without it, she knew that bond was irreplaceable. 

More than that, she couldn't accept the role of a woman as a vehicle for procreation without the accompanying role of mother, not without being given a choice. The lack of emotion and the impersonal nature of the Qun was maddening. She hated to think Tallis could be so unmoved and indifferent to children, the beauty of nurturing life, and the concept of love. She argued, "But the child is an extension of herself. She is half of that child, the other half is the father. And if that child were conceived from love... I mean, if the two that were arranged to be together happened to love one another, which, I don't know what the chances of that are, but you did say Qunari can love -- it would be that much harder to disconnect from the product of their coupling." 

He could see she was passionate about their discussion, but he kept his tone even and calm. "We do love. We have friends, companions, but we do not express our love how those outside of the Qun do. We view reproduction as a part of our duty to the Qun. A means to an end." 

"I see," she said sharply. "Do you see me as simple or savage for such base desires? For believing in love over... I don't know, 'logic'? Or is it just selfish?" 

Tallis, having no experience with children or even the romantic love she spoke of, struggled to empathize with her point of view, but he had seen what she described enough to know it was real and it was powerful. He rested his arms on his knees and shook his head slowly. "You are not simple or a savage. You are just different. You are very interested in motherhood, and from what you tell me, elves mate with those they are arranged to. Have you experience with motherhood and loss of a child?" 

She could see how he would come to that conclusion and straightened up, trying to salvage her composure, having raised her voice in the heat of their discussion. She felt rather mortified for how she reacted when he remained so calm and collected. She felt like nothing she could say or do would bother him or move him. "No. By all accounts, I would be considered poor stock." 

"Because of your magic?" 

"That is one reason if I were to let it be known I have it," she said. "But I am neither Dalish nor city-raised. I am an outsider, and elves, no matter which side they come from, care only about preserving the purity of the race." She noticed how cool it had become since the sun started setting and stood up to rotate the meat over the fire. 

"They couple to further the strength of their race. And you do not regret leaving your clan? They respect magic in your clan, yes?" 

"They do. But I don't regret my decision. It would not have been honest for me to stay." 

"In the city, you could not imagine a future with somebody?" 

"No. I didn't come from a family that could pay a dowry, and I wasn't interested in marrying someone just so we could make little elf babies. Many think that is their purpose. Creating a family is their goal. It was never mine." 

"What is your purpose?" 

It occurred to him as the words left his lips that he had asked her that before, the first time they met. And if he remembered correctly, she hadn't answered the question, only sharing that she had been in search of her clan. It did not add up in his mind that she would be trying to become Dalish again after saying it was dishonest to stay. From what he knew about her now, she had not changed her mind or re-adopted the ways of the Dalish. But he thought he understood. She was an outsider. She was bas even to the elves. 

She was silent, but he waited for her answer, his gaze boring into her. The truth was... she did not know. She did not serve anybody, though she considered herself a healer. She did not belong anywhere. She just wandered, hoping to find her place. But she knew that he respected having a purpose. She did not want to lose his respect by saying she did not have one, and she wondered if he would see her as wasteful or pity her like a lost child as the Qun treated most bas. She tried to think of what to say, but she could not lie to him. 

He could read her uncertainty on her face, even without the prolonged silence between them, and understood she still had searching to do to arrive at her purpose. "You do not have to answer me." 

She took a deep breath and sighed, "I thought I knew, but it is hard for those with magic when it is forbidden. I was raised to be a healer for my clan. It is what I know, but it is not what I do. It hasn't been for a long time." She picked up her fur rolled up on top of her bag and spread it across her shoulders. "Perhaps they could use my magic in the Inquisition." 

"From the information we have about the Inquisition, they would gladly make use of your abilities. They have mages who live freely in Skyhold," he said and addressed their earlier topic of discussion, "You have strong opinions about love and reproduction, Sancia, but you say it is not your purpose to have children. Why is there such passion in your words if it does not concern you?" 

"I only meant if I were to fall in love again or devote myself to somebody, it would not be forced or arranged or just to create children." She thought about his question, reflecting on her experiences in Denerim, and thought about how one-dimensional the roles in the Qun were. For being so concerned about the whole, she thought the Qunari were very singular in their purpose. "I have lived around children, both in the clan and in the alienage. They are innocent. Their well being concerns me. I do not have to be a mother to care about children who are too young and weak to care for themselves." 

"Qunari are also concerned with the well being of children. I hope I did not give you the idea that we do not." 

With all the talk of re-education and the Tamassrans being in charge of raising children, she couldn't imagine Qunari children experiencing the innocence of childhood in the same way a Dalish child would. She knew Qunari children were allowed to play, considering Tallis knew games like 'Tag' and 'Hide-and-Seek', but they did not know the love of a mother or father. They were raised to put the importance of the Qun above their individual desires. She considered it as wrong as the Dalish teaching their children their culture's relics were more important than the lives of the flat-ears. She did not agree with either of them. 

"Yes, the children are Qunari," she said quietly. "They are part of the whole. Without them, the Qun would perish." 

"Many peoples would without children," he said, reading her tone and expression as she stared pensively into the fire, her shoulders slumped under the fur she held around them. He knew she was repeating back to him what he was teaching her about the Qun, but the resentment and defeat in her voice was not hidden. Her idea of caring for the children was clearly different from what she thought the Qunari did. He was curious about her past experiences with love, eager to understand the concept from her perspective. "Tell me about the first time you fell in love." 

Surprised, she look at him and said, "It was a long time ago. I was still a child." 

"A child?" 

"I was sixteen. It feels like a lifetime ago. His name was Fenarel, which is very close to the name of the trickster god, Fen'harel. The Dread Wolf in Dalish lore. I used to tease him about it. But I chose my truth over the elvehn pantheon, and he could no longer associate with me. I left the clan shortly after. It was a short lived romance. It felt real back then. It seems like a dream now." 

"Do you still love him?" 

"No. The feelings were real in the moment, but it was a childish love." 

He thought about it, trying to distinguish between childish love and real love. "Do you mean like a child loves a toy?" 

She laughed at that and set her hand on his arm apologetically. "I'm not laughing at you," she assured him and chuckled. "I should have said immature, not childish. But at the same time, in a way, kind of? We were adolescents, learning about our bodies and curious about each other's. We experienced things for the first time with one another, but it was not a meaningful connection. If it were, it would not have been so easy for us to part ways." 

Tallis wasn't used to 'child' being used in such context, but he understood. "When we are still learning about ourselves we are not fully prepared to deal with developing feelings." He stood up to remove the meat from over the flame. "Have you loved since?" 

Sancia set her fur aside and picked up the pouch that had stored their seasoned dried meats from the dreadnought. She held it open for him as he slid the meat off the stick. "I had feelings for somebody once. I respected him. But it was not right, and I did not stay." 

"Why was it wrong?" 

"We were not equal." 

"How were you not equal?" He tried to remember if elves had social classes that would make one higher ranking than another. 

"He was human," she said. "And he was a templar. He did not know I possessed magic." 

"He must have been unique if you became interested in him. What drew you to him?" 

"He did not treat the elves as less than human. He saw the good in all people and cared about the well being of strangers. When he visited the alienage, many elves had perished only weeks before. Most humans were wise enough not to enter. Because he was a templar, they kept their distance rather than trying to assault him, but he could feel their pain. He was patient. He was drawn there by instinct, perhaps with a sense templars are trained to hone into to sense magic or the Fade. He did not sense magic in me, but he could feel something was amiss in the alienage. I knew exactly what it was he felt. I had seen it." 

He understood how she was drawn to the man, but he found it curious he didn't notice she was a mage if he could sense magic. He wondered if he had simply let her live freely rather than deviate from his mission. "How long were you with him?" 

"I wasn't," she said. "The time I spent with him was all inside a week. I will never forget him though. He was a lovely man, especially for being a templar." 

Tallis couldn't imagine a saarebas forming that kind of intimate bond with an arvaarad, but he also knew Sancia's magic was hidden from the templar. It was dangerous for her to harbor those feelings even for a short time, but he understood what it was Sancia fell in love with. She was drawn to kindness, to people who could see her for who she was and respected her. He caught himself wondering if she could fall in love with a Qunari and quickly dismissed the thought, inwardly chastising himself for even thinking it. 

_Asit tal-eb,_ he thought. _Asit tal-eb. To be._

He was to be Tallis; it was the natural order of things. That was his place in the world. He was trained by the Ben-Hassrath because that was where his talents lay. But he could not see Sancia as bas-saarebas. It felt unnatural for her to be bound and imprisoned when she could save lives and control her power. 

It made him question. It made him doubt. 

And his own thoughts and feelings, both physical and emotional, betrayed his nature. He knew he should be re-educated. Just the thought of wanting to be closer to her was wrong under the Qun. 

_Asit tal-eb._

Although the Qun allowed for sexual release, the mixing of races was viewed as unnatural. It was against _Asit tal-eb._ A minor transgression forgiven by the Qun so long as one fulfills their purpose, but... it did not feel minor as he thought about it. 

"How long ago was this?" he asked, setting the empty stick back into place above the fire. 

Sancia looked up from the fire when he broke the silence and realized as she counted the years just how long she had been alone since. "Ten years." 

"Have you loved anyone since?" 

"No," she said, holding out the open pouch for him to take a steak. "Can you cut me off a piece? This is too big." 

Tallis took the steak and placed the edge of his knife to it, looking to her for her approval on where to cut. She nodded when the placement was right, and he sliced the steak in two. She took the smaller piece, a third of the steak, and he sat down beside her with the larger chunk. "Do you regret leaving?" 

"No," Sancia said. "With him is not where I was meant to be. It would not have been honest." 

"Do you think you are meant to be in Skyhold?" 

"I do not know," she said, wondering what would happen once they arrived. Would he finish his mission and leave? Would she stay? The thought of being aimless once again or being responsible for so many people made her anxious. 

"When we arrive, you will know. I will ensure you are not forced into anything," he said. He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to protect her. His duty was to the Qun. She had released him of any blood debt for saving his life. She had earned his respect, however, and he would see to it that she was safe. "For now, our purpose is the same." 

She was relieved to hear that, but she had to force herself to eat, having lost her appetite at the thought of being alone again. With so much time spent in solitude on her travels, she had become accustomed to loneliness, but having spent two weeks in his company made her aware of how much pain she was in without it. She watched the fire burn and wrapped herself in the fur after she finished her meal. 

When Tallis finished eating, he picked up his book again. She interrupted him before he could begin reading, desiring to hear the sound of his voice, "Tell me about your book." 

He held it up for her to see. "It was a gift to me from the one who trained me. The book has pictures and the common tongue's word for it." 

She moved to sit closer to him and looked over his arm at the picture of two hands exchanging goods and the word 'trade.' Below it, there was a picture of a man at a table with goods laid out on it and word 'merchant.' 

"You are much more advanced than this book," she said. 

"It is good to always repeat the basics to get a good hold on the advanced." 

"Is there a more advanced section of the book?" 

He carefully flipped through the pages of the book and stopped at detailed page written in Qunlat on the left and the common tongue on the right. "This part of the book tries to connect the customs of different cultures with what Qunari understand already. It is still confusing." 

"Which parts do you find confusing?" 

"This speaks of how when you are trying to court a woman in Ferelden, it is important to give her gifts and be gentle," he said, pointing to the word 'gentleman.' "I do not understand why being gentle needs to be told to me... Do they mean when mating?" 

"I thought the Qunari do not court women," Sancia said, reading the page in the common tongue. 

"They are not supposed to with the interest of partnership. But if a Qunari needs release then it is permitted to have sex. As Tallis, I may need to obtain information, and sometimes people talk more in bed. I have not done this, but it is something I should know." 

"I see. I think they mean gentle or gentleman in the sense that you are not being too forward or aggressive in pursuing a woman. You express your interest and offer her an invitation, but it is for her to choose to accept." She looked at him from the corner of her eye, "But being gentle in bed is probably a good idea." 

He nodded, "I understand." 

She read a paragraph and continued, "Gift giving in courtship is a human custom. Dalish do not give gifts in the hope of receiving something in return." 

"Do elves court or are their partnerships like a trade deal between guilds?" 

"The Dalish do court. Within and across clans. The clans are often on the move, but they do cross paths with each other. The Keepers of the clans meet for Arlathvhen every ten years. They exchange information with each other, mostly about recovered artifacts or old scripts they've decoded. But they also discuss members of the clan that are coming of age or that may be more suitable for another clan. Marriages may be arranged between clans, but they are not forced. If I had waited for Arlathvhen, the Keepers would have discussed which clan I would be sent to. My Keeper, however, had been in touch with Thelhen, the Keeper of Clan Virnehn, and knew their clan needed healers." 

Tallis thought elf reproduction sounded much more complicated than the Qunari's. "And the interest of these marriages is to maintain the race? How do elves view those who are the spawn of an elf and one who is not?" 

"Reproduction is encouraged, but productivity is most important. If they are happily married and serve the clan, that is enough. If the couple does not get along, it affects the whole clan. But as far as producing a half-elf child, they see it as either a betrayal or a tragedy, depending on how it happens." 

Tallis grunted, "Mixing of races is discouraged within the Qun because Qunari believe that it weakens the best qualities each race have to offer. But a Qunari of mixed parents has the same chance to prove themselves as the others. Their merit speaks loudest." 

"How often are mixed babies produced in Par Vollen?" 

"Not often as there will never be a pairing of different races by the Tamassrans." 

"We have found that elves that reproduce with humans look like humans," Sancia said, remembering some of the children raised in the alienage. "I have never heard of an elf reproducing with a dwarf or... one of your kind. But I imagine whatever it is that make elves look like elves would be dominated by the other genes. I don't know that for sure though." 

"That is interesting. Maybe I have met more half-elves than I know of." 

"Are there any more questions you have about your book?" Sancia asked, looking up at him, "Or about me?" 

He closed the book, smoothing the withered cover under his hand. "Have you met other mages?" 

"Yes. The Keeper of every Dalish clan is a mage, as is their First, who becomes the Keeper after they pass. I was not in line to be First. I was not as skilled in magic as Merrill, but I also did not want to be Keeper since I did not believe in their gods. My Keeper taught me all I know." 

"It is good your people do not re-educate non-believers. What about since you left your clan?" 

She found it interesting that he was against re-education when it was such a large part of the Qun. "I have come across a few clans since I left the city. I was not exactly welcomed in with open arms, but I did speak with the Keepers of each clan. Aside from them, I have not met any apostates... that I know of." 

"Why did the other clans not welcome you?" 

"Because I am not Dalish. They are not welcoming to outsiders. I was trespassing." 

"You would have made a great addition to their clan," he said. "I have wondered... What is it like to have magic?" 

She had never been asked that question before and with such open curiosity. "It is a power I would not give up if I had a choice to be born without it. It does make life harder in a way, being unable to cast spells openly and being punished if I were to be found out. Then there are other risks that come with magic, but I have never felt in danger of possession. I do not speak with spirits or demons. I do not feel the need to be more powerful. But I like to help people. What I know now is enough for that. And I am better able to defend myself. I would not be alive if not for my magic." 

"We are told that speaking with a mage has a risk of corruption, but you are proof that mages can control themselves." 

"I think it may also depend on their teachers. My Keeper was my teacher. But in Ferelden, elves and humans are taken from their homes when they are children and imprisoned in those towers where they are taught to fear their power. It would not surprise me if it is that fear that begets possession." 

"It would make sense that fear of magic would attract demons to the mage." He contemplated what the Saarebas must go through since, although treated cruelly, most were devoted Qunari. It seemed the most dangerous time for the Saarebas would be as children or adolescents when their magic was first discovered and they were bound and silenced. 

"That is not to say possessions of Dalish mages never occur. I think they must be much rarer occurrences though." She shivered as a breeze blew past them, sending the warmth of the fire away from them. She looked over at Tallis and asked, "Are you cold?" 

"Yes. But I can endure it." 

She let the fur slide off her back into her hands as she stood to stand in front of him. She leaned forward as she wrapped the fur around his shoulders, reminded of when she removed the hide caught on his horns as he looked up at her, meeting her eyes with his. She found herself held in place by his gaze and said, "I will share everything I have with you. You need but ask." 

He felt that familiar tingling sensation as she held the fur around his shoulders, and he lifted his arm to invite her to sit beside him, conflicted over his own actions. He knew continuing physical contact with her was not in any way helping him fulfill his purpose. But when she sat down beside him and leaned into him, pulling his arm around her to share his warmth, he did not think about how he was already beginning to push the limits of the Qun.


	6. Durgen'len

Sancia had only just become comfortably warm, nestled against Tallis' side with the weight of his arm pressed against hers when she heard footsteps in the distance, softened by the dampness of the leaves on the ground. Her heart sank at the interruption, but she stood up, placing her hand on Tallis' shoulder to stop him from standing. She listened and heard only the footsteps belonging to one person, but she wasn't sure if they were in Dalish territory. "Wait here."

Tallis drew his dagger but remained seated on the log, listening closely as he watched her, ready to act. Sancia picked up her staff as she approached the tree line and walked into the woods cautiously. She was out of Tallis' sight as she left the light created by the campfire. The footsteps ahead of her were slow, but whomever they belonged to wasn't sneaking around. They were trudging along slowly as if tired or injured. 

"Hello?" Sancia called out and heard the footsteps stop. "Who's out there?"

A girl poked her head out from around the side of a nearby tree. "Are... are you a Dalish?" 

Sancia was surprised to see a human child wandering the woods. "Are you out here all alone? Where are your parents?"

The girl stepped out from behind the tree with her hands on her hips. "Well, that's offensive! I'm not a child!"

In the darkness, it was hard for Sancia to see, but once the girl was in full view, she realized she wasn't a human at all. "I'm... I'm sorry. I couldn't see you in the dark. What is a dwarf doing out in the woods alone looking for the Dalish?"

Tallis heard a raised voice and stealthily circled the pair in the woods. He stepped through the shadows to sneak up behind the dwarf. "Identify yourself."

The dwarf jumped at the sound of his voice and turned, craning her neck back to look up at him. She screamed and ran past Sancia toward the fire. "DARKSPAWN! RUN!" 

Sancia aimed her staff and caught her in a force field. "Well, that's offensive," she mocked, "He's not a darkspawn. He is Qunari."

"Wha'?" The dwarf looked all around her and pressed her hand against the forcefield. It felt like a glass wall. "Why would you do that!?"

"You were panicked. I thought you might run into the fire and hurt yourself," Sancia said, dropping the force field. "Why don't you join us at our camp?"

Tallis assessed the situation and determined she was not a threat. At least not to them. "It is not safe to travel alone at night, but no harm will come to you if you take shelter with us."

"What's a Qunari?" the dwarf asked, tilting her head. "Is it a--"

"I am neither darkspawn nor demon," he said, walking past her to sit on the log by the fire. 

"You can read minds? That was my next guess! By the Stone, you're as tall as some of our Paragon statues," she said, jogging to keep up with him. "Well, I'm glad you're not either. I don't think I could handle anyone else trying to kill me."

"I can't read minds, but demon is usually the fear. It's the horns," he said. 

"Ohhhh," she droned, realization dawning upon her. "That's where those big ogre darkspawn comes from, I heard. Never seen one, except for the drawings. One of them killed the King at Ostagar. I wasn't there for that though. I was still back minding my uncle's shop." 

"Who tried to kill you?" Tallis asked. 

"And why are you looking for the Dalish?" Sancia asked and picked up the fur Tallis had set aside to wrap it around her shoulders. 

"I was with a friend. We came from Orzammar and we were on our way to Denerim to sell our goods. But then bandits stopped us on the road," she sulked, crestfallen. "Logrun wanted to fight them, but neither of us are warrior caste. But he said if we just let them take everything, we'd have nothing left. So he fought."

"And where is Logrun now?" Sancia asked.

The dwarf looked at her hands in her lap, ashamed and defeated. "They killed him."

Tallis grunted, "He was a warrior in the end. Do you wish to hire the Dalish to exact revenge?"

"I heard the elves lived in the woods and don't take kindly to humans. The bandits were humans. I hoped maybe I could point them in the right direction and collect what they stole. But... you're not the Dalish, are you?"

"No, we are not," Sancia said, "And I'm afraid the Dalish would not help you."

"Were these bandits near?" Tallis asked, standing. He was ready to track them down and dispose of them. 

"A couple hours down the road. There were six of 'em, blasted nug-humpers. I felt like a coward running away and leaving Logrun there. But what was he thinking, taking on six armed men?"

"Did you see him fall?" Tallis asked. 

"No, but he was outnumbered, and he charged at 'em with an ax. No way he'd survive against six of 'em."

"Did they wear armor?" 

"I... I don't think they wore armor, but they all had swords."

Tallis didn't need time to think about it. The threat was nearby enough. "I will dispatch these bandits for you."

Sancia stood up, still wrapped in the fur. "Now? Or in the morning?"

"Now. Under the cover of night. They should have made camp and are not on the move. It will be easy to strike against them." He looked at the dwarf. "And if your friend still lives, then it is even more important that these bandits are dealt with now."

Sancia nodded and picked up her staff as she set the fur aside. "You're right."

"You should stay," Tallis said. "You can keep her safe."

Sancia felt her heart race and the blood rush to her cheeks. "You think I will get in your way?"

He looked at her, confused. He had been thinking strategically, but he realized how it sounded. "I do not think that. You are a strong companion in battle. If she feels safe enough to remain here alone, then having you accompany me will make this easier."

"Oh, I'll be okay," the dwarf said. "The bandits didn't follow me. I don't think I could have outrun them with those long legs of theirs." She stretched her hands out toward the fire to warm them. "Oh, thank the Stone. I lost feeling in my fingers an hour ago."

"We have food too," Sancia said. "Help yourself." 

"Really? I'm starving!"

"Just make sure to leave some for the big guy," Sancia smiled. 

Tallis grunted at her. He didn't think the dwarf could eat an entire ram and wheel of cheese. "We will return shortly." 

Sancia walked with Tallis in the direction the dwarf had pointed them in, silently until they reached the road. "I doubt she will need protecting where we made camp."

"I was considering all possibilities," he said and looked down at her. "I did not mean to make you think you were... how do you say?" 

"A liability?" 

"Yes. In the way. You are not. I enjoy having you by my side in combat."

"I was afraid you thought I would slow you down or give away your position. But if you went alone... I would worry the whole time that you were hurt and I wasn't there to heal you," she confessed, looking up at him. 

He could see she was genuinely concerned about him. He was not used to being worried about, having been trained by a mentor and trusted to complete his missions after he had proven adept. Qunari were taught to be confident, to trust in their ability and their philosophy. They were not put out into the world without being capable. However, he did not take offense to her concern, aware that it was not a lack of faith in him. And there was always some level of risk involved in confrontation. "I am confident I can dispatch six bandits, but there may be unknown variables. Anything can happen. If I ran into trouble without you there, I would have regretted leaving you behind."

"I would have followed you," she admitted. 

"I must admit that I also do not like the thought of not knowing if something might happen to you while I am not there. I will not try to leave your side again."

She smiled, relieved to hear that, even if he only meant until they reach Skyhold. "Do you think the bandits killed her friend?"

"If they haven't, then they will most likely trade him to slavers."

"If this Logrun is as determined to fight as she says he is, I doubt he will allow anyone to enslave him," she said and stopped walking. 

"Not many willingly allow themselves to be enslaved." He stopped beside her. "What is it, Sancia?"

"I just realized we didn't learn her name. Or introduce ourselves. And we left all our things with her."

"She is not a threat," he said. "She did not lie."

"How do you know?"

"It is a part of my training to know when someone is lying to me. Her body language and voice told me she spoke the truth. She also had signs of a struggle on her."

Sancia continued walking, relieved by Tallis' read on her. Besides, if the dwarf did steal their belongings, she wouldn't exactly be walking away rich with their wheel of cheese, sack of steaks, and pile of hides. 

After another hour, they slowed at the sound of voices and laughter. Tallis whispered, "Keep your distance. If Logrun still lives, it is important for you to make sure he is safe."

Sancia nodded and slipped in between the trees, moving silently, light on her feet. Though she was never a hunter in her clan, since being on her own, she had to hunt her own meals, which required sneaking up on deer and rabbits while avoiding bears and wolves. She moved around the camp, looking for Logrun if he still lived, while taking note of the location and number of bandits, counting the six the dwarf mentioned. 

Tallis kept to the shadows, crouching as he circled the camp and moved closer, listening closely to the bandits' conversation. 

The bandit across the camp, seated on the edge of a wagon, chugged from a bottle. "Andraste's ass, this dwarven ale is amazing! Much better than the muck we get at the Two Ravens." He looked over at their captive dwarf. "We would have let you go unharmed if you just gave us a keg of this!"

The dwarf was bound in both chains and rope, seemingly excessive, but he still struggled against them, kicking his legs and squirming in the dirt. He might not have been a warrior, but he was still a craftsman with a lot of strength. He grunted as he rolled over, trying to loosen just a strand of the rope to get his hand free. 

Another bandit laughed, "Look at the blighter roll around on the ground! Careful, he'll bite yer ankles, he will!"

The bandit closest to the dwarf laughed and moved farther away, just in case. "You find anything good in there?" he asked the bandit digging through the chests and barrels in the back of the wagon. 

"Some silver, yeah," he said, tossing a plate out. "And dwarf underwear. Eck!"

"Don't you touch those!" Logrun shouted and wiggled his way over to the nearest bandit to bite his ankle. 

The bandit cried out, startled, and kicked at the dwarf. "You height challenged savage! I should gut you 'ere and now!"

"Don't worry 'bout the dwarf," another bandit said, slicing an apple. "We'll send him off with the slavers with the rest of the shipment first thing tomorrow."

Tallis could see each bandit had a bottle of ale nearby, but he couldn't be sure how inebriated they were. Still, he felt he was at an advantage. He noticed Sancia against a tree some fifty feet away and lifted his hand as he drew his dagger. He counted down each finger until he closed his fist and moved in, sneaking up behind the bandit in the wagon first. He clapped his hand over his mouth and pulled him over the side of the wagon, out of view of the others, and slid his blade into his neck. 

As he laid the first body on the ground, another bandit stepped into view to piss behind the cart. Tallis grabbed him by the throat and squeezed tight enough to silence him before he could alert the others, then he slid his dagger up into his heart.

Sancia had Logrun and the other four bandits in her view, but she had to move closer to hit them with a spell. Once the bandit facing her by the fire saw her, she ran closer and raised her staff, casting sleep on the three other bandits closer to her. 

“Knife ears!” The one bandit left awake thought they were being raided by the Dalish and held his sword out, arm shaking, as he looked around for the other elves, half-expecting an arrow to fly out and hit him. But then he saw Tallis. “D-DEMON!” He looked back at Sancia, thinking she must be a blood mage and expected the worst. “Don’t blood sacrifice me!” 

Tallis could tell the bandit was not skilled by the way he panicked and swung his sword out in front of him. “You are like a wild animal. Surrender or I will take that from you and use it to end your life.”

“And let you possess me and my friends?! No chance, demon!” 

Tallis held his dagger by the blade and watched the bandit's movements, timing him until the right moment, then threw the dagger into his shoulder, forcing him to drop the weapon. As the bandit cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, gripping the dragger by its handle, Tallis walked over to him and, holding his hand over the bandit’s grip, pulled the dagger out. “I am not a demon,” he said. “Do you surrender now?”

The bandit nodded his head slowly and held his arm against his chest when Tallis released him. 

“What will we do with them?” Sancia asked. 

“Killing them would mean that they can harm no one else,” Tallis said, looking to her for her thoughts, despite what his instincts told him to do. 

“You were right about them, about their dealings with slavers.”

“Then you agree that we should put a stop to their crimes right now?”

“What?” The bandit looked back and forth between the two of them. “You two are cold hearted demons!”

Sancia turned on the bandit and poked him in the shoulder with the end of her staff, demanding his attention. “What is cold hearted to me is setting upon a craftsman who has left home with all he has worked to create, stealing everything from him, including his life, which is not yours to sell.” She poked him again, causing him to wince and take a step back. “Why should we let you live? What good do you bring to Ferelden? Or are you a parasite?”

Tallis did not intervene, but he couldn’t help finding her display of dominance to be arousing. It was unexpected.

“B-before I became a bandit, I was a baker! But the war took my village and so I's got to do what I have to to survive!” He looked around at his sleeping companions. “If you spare us, we... we will turn ourselves into the next Inquistion patrol and ask to join their army!” He looked at her, hopeful for a show of mercy. 

Sancia looked to Tallis. “Is he being honest?”

Tallis could tell the man was clueless about fighting, but he couldn’t be sure about the rest of his group. “He is. The rest of them must answer for themselves.”

Logrun, still tied and lying on the ground all but forgotten, wiggled closer. “This one is no bandit, as you said. He's too soft for it.”

Sancia knelt down beside him and started untying the rope knots. “And have you opinions on the rest?” “Aye! I have some opinions on the rest!” Logrun growled and wrenched the chains up and off over his shoulders once the rope was loosened. He walked over to a sleeping bandit with a shaved head and spat on it. “This scum bucket is a slaver! The rest are just idiots.”

Sancia exchanged looks with Tallis, tilting her head toward the slaver. “We will give the rest a stern talking to.”

Tallis picked up the slaver by the back of his tunic and dragged behind the line of trees, out of their line of sight. He knew it was psychologically different to see someone killed when it was not in the heat of the moment. 

“He…” the bandit held his chest, taking deep breaths as he subdued a feeling of panic, “We just met him a day ago. We were desperate for money…”

“You do not look that desperate to me. You look as if you eat well and you do not smell like you have worn the same clothes all month. You really care so little for the lives of other people that you would make a girl homeless and a hard working man a slave so you could sleep comfortably in an inn for a night?”

The bandit looked down, ashamed. He had justified their behavior because he felt everything had been taken from him, but he knew it was wrong to put others in the same position. 

Logrun spat, “That's right, you blighting bastard!”

Sancia was glad to see he looked genuinely contrite. “I trust you will make up for your mistakes by joining the Inquisition as you promised,” she said and healed the wound to his shoulder. “Should we wake your friends and tell them what needs to be done?”

The bandit was surprised when the pain went away. “Thank… you. They will need to hear it from you.”

“Ma nuvenin,” she said and waited until she saw Tallis coming back before pushing over the bandit beside her with the end of her staff so that he landed on his back and hit his head, jarring him. She knocked on the other bandit's crown hard enough to jolt him awake but not hard enough to injure him. “Be calm,” she started, interrupting them before they could begin. “Listen.”

Logrun stood in front of the group with his hands on his hips, feeling triumphant. “Ha! Look at you all now!”

The drunk bandit rubbed the top of his head, confused. “How did you get loose!? Wait... Who... who... what...?”

“I made a deal with them,” the bandit said, still instinctively holding his bloody shoulder, though the hole had closed up. “They will let us live if we join the inquisition and no longer live as bandits.”

“What!? You've gone blighting mad!” the other bandit, sitting up, shouted. 

“Oh, do you think fighting us is the sane thing to do?” Sancia challenged. “We have no qualms leaving only one survivor if it makes the road safer for innocents passing through.”

The drunk bandit closest to Tallis nudged the other one with his elbow, sobering up real quick. “We should take the deal.”

“Please do not provoke them,” their friend warned. “They have no problem killing us if we still pose a threat. They killed Horace and Marcus... and the slaver in his sleep.”

“It all happened so fast... and you want to join even though they did that?”

Sancia added, “We do not kill on behalf of the Inquisition. Joining was your friend's idea. An acceptable alternative to thieving.”

The sobered bandit stood up first. “I’ll join with them.”

The reluctant one followed suit, begrudgingly. “Beats trying to hunt for our own food, I suppose.” He looked at Tallis and noticing the dagger in his hand. “Or dying.”

Sancia looked at Tallis for confirmation. “Is it safe to send them on their way?”

Tallis nodded with a grunt, thinking to himself that they could always kill them later if they broke their promise. The bandits left without another word, leaving behind their spoils and weapons, lucky just to escape with their lives.

Logrun looked up at Sancia. “Why did you heal that pain in the arse bandit?”

“If he is going to help the Inquisition, he should join in good health. It could be another week or two before he reaches Skyhold. Infection could set in by then if it went unattended.”

“It also offers them a sign of good will on our part and maybe inspires them,” Tallis thought aloud.

Logrun folded his arms. “So, what do my saviors plan to do with me now?” He studied Tallis up and down, not fazed by how he looked. He knew he was no darkspawn or demon. “And what are you?”

“I am Qunari. And we plan to return you to your friend.”

Logrun dropped his arms to his sides, eyes wide. “You found Tholira?” 

“She found us. My name is Sancia, and this is Tallis. Our camp is two hours east.”

“Stone blessed, that one is,” Logrun smirked. “I'm grateful you came looking for me. Did she promise you anything?”

“No.”

“Well, climb aboard the wagon. We'll ride back. And help yourself to anything you find you wanna keep.”

“Thank you,” Sancia said and climbed up on the back of the wagon as Logrun took the driver’s seat.

“I will walk,” Tallis said.

Logrun looked over at Tallis from the corner of his eye as he walked beside the wagon. Curious about what an elf was doing traveling with a Qunari, he asked, “So... are you two business partners... or?”

“Traveling companions,” Sancia answered, opening one of the bulky looking bags beside her. “He is in the business of solving problems, and I am just trying to find my way.”

“Well, you both solved a major problem for me!” he snorted with a chuckle, “I noticed the magic. Don't worry, it doesn't bother me none. It was a mage that saved my old man during the fifth blight.”

“The fifth blight? Do you mean the Grey Warden?” Sancia asked, lifting up a bottle of ale. 

“Aye. She whooped the darkspawn bastards back to the holes they crawled out of. My father was in Denerim to support the Warden and his arse was as good as dwarf roast for the darkspawn if not for her and her companions.”

“We're looking for her at Skyhold,” Sancia said, wrapping herself in a fur before uncorking the bottle to sniff it. She crinkled her nose and took a sip then held the bottle out to Tallis. 

Tallis held his hand up to refuse it. “I must keep my mind clear.”

Sancia noticed the wet blood running down the back of his arm and nudged his elbow with the bottle, giving him an inquisitive look of concern. 

He turned his arm to inspect the blood her eyes were drawn to and said, “It is not mine.” 

“We made a lot of gold there from mercenaries buying weapons,” Logrun continued.

“The Arishok was there at Denerim,” Tallis said. “I have heard tales of the battle. It was good.”

Sancia put the bottle down beside her and rested her head on her arms on the side of the cart to look at him. “How did the Arishok tell the story?”

“He spoke highly of the Warden and very lowly of the needless political matters of this place. Everyone and their self-interest almost led Ferelden to being overrun by the darkspawn. He thought the male Warden was cute in the way a lost puppy is.”

“The Warden who became the King of Ferelden? The elves of the alienage approved of him, though they didn't have high hopes of reform.” She found the waterskin and offered it to Tallis. “It is not ale.”

“The Warden is considered Basalit-an,” he said, accepting the waterskin. “I hear that he has become a great king. It would be a shame if the Qunari have to invade to fix the current problems.”

“Logrun, are you related to Gorim?” Sancia asked. “He is a merchant in Denerim.”

“Not related, but I know of him. How do you know him?”

“I used to pass him in the market place. I stopped for conversation a couple of times, but I had no need for armor. There aren't many dwarves selling in the Denerim market place.”

“I'll have to make sure to visit him,” Logrun said and held his hand out to Tallis. “Waterskin me.”

Tallis stared at him for a moment then realized he wanted a drink and not to become a waterskin. He handed it to him and said, “You should sell your items at Skyhold. Many are gathering there.”

“Where is Skyhold?” 

“In the Frostback Mountains.”

“But we just came from there!” Logrun was appalled at the thought of going all the way back after everything they’d endured to travel across the country. 

Tallis grunted, “Then safe journey to Denerim.”

“You're a lot more cordial than one would think for someone who has horns coming out of his head. Well, if things don't pan out in Denerim, we'll try selling in Skyhold. We'll give it a month or two.”

Sancia yawned and lay down against a sack of bronco hides. “Wake me when we get there,” she said and fell asleep for the rest of the ride. 

Tallis stopped the cart when they reached the part of the road the led to their camp in the woods. “Here. We cannot take your cart into the woods.”

“How far in is Tholira?” Logrun asked, reluctant to leave his belongings out in the open. 

“Half a kilometer,” Tallis guessed.

“Well, then, I doubt anyone will come by and steal all my things in the amount of time it takes to fetch her.”

“Do you plan to leave as soon as you reunite?”

“The sooner we get to Denerim, the safer we'll be from bandits.”

Tallis grunted, “I would not advise traveling without resting until morning, but you are free to do as you please. You should carry a weapon at your side. Even if you do not know how to properly use it.”

“Aye, I would have chopped those bandits up with my axe if there weren't so many of them! And if they didn't have such... long arms.”

“Yes. Distance could prove to be a problem with no heavy armor on. Avoiding conflict would be in your best interests,” he said and placed his hand on Sancia’s hip to gently shake her. “We are at camp, Sancia.”

“I'll bring Tholira back and we'll get some sleep in the cart. I can't risk leaving it out here for someone to come by and ride off with it,” Logrun said.

Sancia sat up slowly and yawned, “I'll keep watch until you get back. Or, wake up if someone shows up to steal it.”

“I will lead you to camp while she keeps your belongings warm,” Tallis said with dry sarcasm. 

Logrun followed him into the woods and groaned after the wagon was out of sight. “Everything is so stinking far. Why is everything so spread out?”

Tallis looked down at his legs. “I can imagine it must be quite difficult when you have limbs like yours.”

Logrun looked up at him and said, “And I guess the world looks tiny on legs like yours. And every cup you hold is probably too small.”

“That's a fair assessment. I can pick fruit from a tree and you are able to get under things easier.”

“Like the earth? Are you making an Orzammar joke?”

“Yes,” Tallis cracked a smile at him. “It is also true.”

“Ha! You big guys are a bunch of jokers, aren’t you?” he said and pointed. “I see light up ahead.” 

Tholira stood up when she heard them coming from the woods. “Logrun! You’re alive!” She ran and hugged him, nearly toppling him over. “How are you alive!?”

“It’ll take more than six humans to put me down for good.”

“You're not covered in blood. You didn't kill them. That means...” She looked up at Tallis and her mouth fell open. “You're awesome.” 

“Hey, I softened them up for him!”

She looked around and gasped, “Oh, no. Paragons have mercy! The elf is dead!”

“She is safe,” Tallis assured her. “Sancia is watching over your belongings. I shall retrieve her.”

“Oh, phew. Wow, that's so nice of her. I, uh, kept your fire going. And I didn't eat all your cheese. Or your ram. I had one of its buttocks.”

“I don't think I can handle you full of cheese,” Logrun said. “You didn't eat the hole, did you?”

“Ew, no! What do you think I am?” Tholira jabbed him in the arm. She follow them back to the cart and said, “Thank you for rescuing my friend. I don't know how to thank you. I guess not all topsiders are Stone-cursed dusters after all.”

“You do not need to thank me,” Tallis said and gently shook Sancia awake again. “Your watch is over.”

She liked the weight of his hand on her hip, but she groggily sat up to look at the sky to judge the time of night. It was still late, but morning wasn't near yet.

“Help me up there, big guy. Gimme a boost,” Tholira said, holding her foot out.

As Logrun climbed up to the driver’s seat, Tallis picked up Tholira and set her down on the back of the wagon. He looked over at Sancia, who still looked dazed, and seeing she wasn’t on her feet yet, he turned his back to her and lowered his head. “Climb on, Sancia. I will carry you.” Sancia gladly complied, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and rested her head against the side of his neck as he held onto her legs. 

“Don't forget to take a bottle of ale to remember us by,” Tholira said and wedged the bottle under Tallis’ arm. “Don’t drop it.” 

“Whatever you Qunaris are, you're okay by me,” Logrun said, giving him a nod of respect.

“If we ever go to Denerim, I will look for you.”

“Dareth shiral, durgen'len,” Sancia mumbled.

Logrun loosened the reins to get his ox moving and reached back for a silver cup in his bag and tossed it to Tallis. “Sell this in case you need money. Or use it to drink out of if you don’t!” 

The chalice hit him in the chest because he was holding Sancia’s legs. He looked down at it then back up at the dwarf.

Logrun chuckled nervously, “Right. I’m sure it’ll still be there in the morning.” 

Tallis squatted down to pick it up and carried Sancia back to camp. When the fire came into view, Sancia lifted her head from his neck and waited until he stopped to land on her feet. “Thank you for carrying me.”

“Logrun gave us one final gift,” he said and showed her the silver chalice before setting it down by her bag. 

“Keep or sell?” She didn’t think it was Qunari to keep souvenirs but thought it better to ask than make assumptions. She picked up the bottle of ale and took a swig before putting the cork back in. She sat on the log by the fire and watched him put down his weapons and dismantle his armor. 

“Sell. We have our waterskin to drink from.”

Sancia unrolled the hide attached to her pack and laid it out on the ground by the fire. “For you to lie down on.”

Tallis cracked a smile and removed his vest before lying down on it. He looked at her and smirked, “For you to lie down on.”

She smiled and picked up the fur from the log before getting on her knees and crawling over him to lie on his back. She pulled the fur up to her chin and rested a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for being patient with me today, Tallis.”

He took a deep breath when she squeezed his shoulder, once against taken by surprised by his body’s reaction to her touch. He knew that, although it caused him to question himself, he did not want her to pull away from him. “I enjoy your honesty. We are companions. Having understanding and patience is key for us to survive the long journey.”

Resting her cheek against his back, she smiled, “You are kind. I know you could survive without me. You don't regret not feeding me to the dragon yet?”

He thought back to their first meeting and chuckled, “I would not have survived without you. My story would have ended on that beach. I have no regrets about our partnership.”

“Ah, you are right.” She drew a circle on his shoulder with her finger, smiling, “We have saved each other's lives and the lives of humans and dwarves.”

His skin tingled where her finger traveled, but he steeled himself, keeping his composure. “And we have had our fill of cheese.”

“Yes, and dwarven ale. Or, at least I have.” She couldn’t tell whether it was he that was warm or if the ale had warmed her. 

“I appreciate that you did not think I was a monster. Before coming here, I knew these lands weren't the most exposed to those who look like me.”

“I was surprised Tholira thought you were a darkspawn. You look nothing like a monster to me.”

“It's the horns.” He realized if not for his horns, people might think he was just a really big painted human. Or perhaps an elf, considering his ears were pointed. Or a human-elf hybrid. He wondered how the Arishok had been received by strangers. 

“I like your horns.” Sancia rested her chin on her wrist and moved her hand from his shoulder to touch his horn. “They're beautiful.”

Tallis had never let anyone touch his horns like this before, but he thought there was something really pure about her. “You may touch them all you want,” he said. “I will share everything I have with you.”

Sancia felt her skin go hot and her heart race, enough so that she had to remove the fur from over her back so the night air could cool her. She could feel the perspiration between their bodies, but she didn’t lift herself from his back, instead settling her face back down against it as she trailed her hand down through his hair to settle back on his shoulder. “Good night, Tallis.”

He picked up on the change in her body temperature, aware that she was having the same effect on him, and he knew they were both aroused. When she trailed her hand through his hair, he closed his eyes and took another deep breath, calming himself before responding. “Good night, Sancia.” He tried to clear his thoughts, inwardly repeating the tenets of the Qun; he did not just a desire for release with her but to be with her, a motivation that would be against the Qun's teachings. 

_Asit tal-eb._


	7. Crestwood

“There may have been a battle ahead,” Tallis said, squinting up at the sky where carrion birds circled.

“Hopefully there are not demons and walking corpses. I have heard many rumors since the sky opened up,” Sancia said. “And at midday, they could render me unconscious by their stench alone.”

“Do you wish to walk around the area?”

“No. There may be survivors.”

“Then let us move with caution.” The growing sound of the birds let him know how far away they were and that any fighting there may have ended. He stopped when they reached a clearing in the forest and knelt behind a tree. There was the aftermath of an ambush but no sign of demons. “It looks like there was a battle between mages, Templars, and a third group... mercenaries?”

“Let's see if any of them still live,” Sancia said, walking ahead of him to kneel down and check the pulse of the nearest mage. She moved onto the next motionless body when she felt nothing. “I thought the fighting had ended between the mages and Templars. But that is naive, isn't it?”

Tallis walked among the bodies and stopped beside one young mage to check her pulse. “Sancia. Her heartbeat is faint, but she still lives.”

“I don’t see any stab wounds. But that doesn't mean a Templar didn't take her down with magic,” she said, healing her with a spell. “Or whatever it is Templars want to call what they do.”

“Will she survive?” 

“I don’t know. I think so.” She was not sure how to mend the damage a Templar could do to a mage’s spirit. 

Tallis continued checking the bodies, thinking he had better wait until they had checked everyone before he started collecting valuables.

The girl groaned as she woke up and rolled on her side. Sancia helped her sit up. “You’re safe now,” she said. “What happened here?”

The girl looked at her and her dazed visage contorted as she sobbed, “We... we were attacked by Templars... They were different. They weren’t... right. The mercenaries we hired were no match for them! The senior mages fought... They fought... I was struck down during the chaos...” She wiped her face with her sleeve and looked at Sancia’s staff. “You're a mage?”

“I am.” She looked over at the Templars. She hadn't checked them yet, but she turned the nearest one over, wondering if a demon had somehow possessed him and turned him into an abomination. She knew Templars were not immune to the grasp of demons by the stories she heard about the Circle tower during the Fifth Blight. She noticed small red crystals protruding from his skin and stood up. “Tallis, do not touch them.” She wasn't sure what the crystals meant or whether or not they were infectious, but she knew they were bad. 

Tallis grunted when he noticed the crystals too. “Thank you.”

The girl looked over at Tallis, finally noticing his presence, and screamed, “A demon! A demon has come for us!”

“He is not a demon,” Sancia said, holding the girl’s staff down with her foot when she reached for it. “Do not attack him.” 

“What do you mean? He could be a… a lust demon.” 

Sancia laughed, taking the girl off guard, and said, “His name is Tallis.” She watched him as he continued to check the bodies without regarding the girl’s outburst. 

“Are you sure he is not controlling you?” she asked. 

“There is another survivor here, Sancia,” Tallis said.

Sancia ignored the girl and went over to the mercenary Tallis stood by. She cast a healing spell and a regeneration spell on him. He gasped and lay perfectly still, allowing his wounds to mend. 

“It does not look like any of the Templar bodies have life in them. Any that survived have left,” Tallis said. 

“Good. We would have had to kill them.” She tilted her head thoughtfully and said, “Or, rather, you would have had to kill them. I would probably be rendered powerless and try to outrun them.” 

“You mean you would have tactfully retreated,” he smirked. 

“Mr. Woodeye!” The girl ran over to the mercenary and helped him to sit up. 

“Quiet down, lass. My head feels like there is a dwarfish drinking party in it.”

“Move slowly,” Sancia said. “If you have internal injuries, it could take some time to fully heal.” 

“We have checked everybody else,” Tallis said.

“Thank ye,” the mercenary said, grimacing. “Name’s Finbar. You don't look like one of the mages my boys and I were escorting.” He lifted his arm when his charge, Riona, tried to help him up. He looked surprised when another set of hands gripped his armor and lifted him easily to his feet. He looked up at Tallis, unfazed. 

“I'm not a demon,” Tallis said pre-emptively, “or a darkspawn.”

“Aye. What company are you a part of? You're one of them tal-vashoth mercenaries like the Iron Bull, right? If only we had a couple of you, we probably could've taken the bastards.”

“Not exactly.” Tallis did not think lying to them was necessary, but he understood the need for a cover like being a tal-vashoth mercenary. 

“Tallis, shall we continue on our way?” Sancia asked, decidedly abandoning any valuables to Finbar and Riona. 

“Will you two be okay?” Tallis asked. 

“Aye,” Finbar picked up and sheathed his sword. “I'm a little bruised, but after some rest, we’ll be able to handle ourselves. You've done enough by bringing us back from the brink.”

“What about the girl?”

“Woodeye always sees a job through to the end,” Finbar said, tapping the side of his brow where his wooden eye was, and chuckled before sputtering with a cough, “Guess I'm not ready to handle my own jokes.”

“You should get far away from this area before the sun goes down,” Tallis said. "Even for a battle hardened warrior, this would not be a good place to camp." 

“Thank ye. We were heading to Skyhold. If you two happen that way and need help, call on me.”

“We will,” Sancia said. “Dareth shiral.” She looked at Tallis, wondering if he would rather escort them, even though she preferred to travel alone with him. When he said nothing, she walked away with him. After the noise of the birds overhead were all but silence behind them, she asked, “Does it bother you that so many confuse you for a demon or a darkspawn?”

He grunted, “Confusion is to be expected.” He did not want to show that it did bother him a little bit. Demons and darkspawns were unnatural monsters. “People here have little experience with those who look like me.”

“Circle mages are quick to jump at even their shadow and think it a spirit or demon,” she said, touching his arm. “Even if I had not found you face down in the sand, I still would not have mistaken you for anything but what you are.”

He felt a tingling sensation in his stomach when she touched his arm, and he could feel her eyes on his face. He smiled at her, “And I do not see you as an elf or mage. Just Sancia.”

“I am all of these.”

“Yes. They are a part of you, but not a single one defines who you are.”

She wondered if the same was true for him. No matter what she felt or saw in him, she thought, he would always choose the Qun. “Thank you. We are not far from Crestwood. We should stop there. We can make sure the road is clear for the others.”

“We would make a fortune as bounty hunters.”

She laughed, “Maybe we should see if Crestwood has a Chanter's board. I mean, if you think you'll have to come back this way.”

“It would not hurt to have extra money for our travels.”

By mid-afternoon, they reached Crestwood and were met by a guard at the gate. “Halt. What business have you here?”

“We are only passing through,” Sancia said. “We wanted to rest for the night.”

“There have been Qunari raiding in the hills near here. How do I know you're not a part of that group?”

Tallis grunted disdainfully, “Tal-Vashoth. They are not Qunari.”

“Many do not understand what a Qunari is,” Sancia reminded him. “They only know that as a race, not the followers of a philosophy.”

The guard stared at them, “Right, so, these Tal-Va-thingies. You're not one of them?”

“No,” Tallis answered. “They are those who have rejected the Qun. Many become savage and violent. If there are Tal-Vashoth, then I must find them.”

“For a price, of course,” Sancia added, giving Tallis’ arm a little nudge with her elbow. “What kind of bounty do these Tal-Vashoth have on them?”

Tallis looked at Sancia with a slight smile, impressed with her quick thinking.

“Lots of you adventurers coming through here lately,” the guard said, “but none of them actually wanted to take up the quest. There's a bounty of 4 gold and 10 silver if you can deal with them. Are you sure that just the two of you will be fine?”

“That depends. How many are there?” Sancia asked. 

“Between twenty and thirty as far as we can tell. They raid in small groups though, four or five. They might send two groups out to patrol different areas while the rest are stationed at their base. If you even just take care of a patrol group, we'll reward you a gold piece. But you take 'em all out, you get the full reward. We didn't know where their camp was until recently. It's through a cave east of here. I can provide you a map if you wait until tomorrow.”

“We will see what we can do.”

“Yes. If we can fight them in small groups, it is possible,” Tallis said.

The guard turned and shouted, “Open the gate!” He walked in ahead of them. “I ask that you leave your weapons with me. I'm sure you understand why.”

Tallis handed over his weapons without hesitation, understanding that even if he says he is not tal-vashoth, they all look the same to these people. Sancia reluctantly handed over her staff when the guard turned to her. 

“They will be waiting for you here when you leave. Welcome to Crestwood.”

Tallis pointed at a big building up the hill. “That must be the inn.”

Sancia caught his arm and pointed, “And that's the store. Let's stop there first and unload.” She entered the store ahead of him and took her bag to the counter. Tallis stopped to look at the merchant’s wares. A chess set caught his eye, so he picked it up off the shelf and set it down on the counter beside Sancia’s bag. She laid down the ram hide, what was left of the wheel of cheese, the silver chalice Logrun gave them, and the bottle of ale. She looked up at Tallis and tapped the bottle. “Did you want to keep this and try it?”

“It tempts my curiosity, but it would better serve us in trade.”

She slid the bottle back in the bag. She would rather satisfy Tallis’ curiosity than pick up a piece of silver. Some things were worth more than money. 

The merchant looked at Tallis and smiled, “You’re you one of those Qunari like the Iron Bull, aren’t you?”

“If you mean one who will not kill you and take your things, then yes.”

The merchant wondered if he had been rude for asking and shrugged, “Well, that's a relief, but I suppose the guards wouldn't have let you in if you weren't.” He brought his glasses down from his forehead to inspect the wares and held up the silver chalice. This is dwarven! I know dwarf craftsmanship when I see it.”

“Yes, fine dwarven crafts straight from Orzammar,” Sancia smirked. “We also have a lot of ram meat. I doubt we can eat it all before it goes bad.”

“I will gladly take that meat off of your hands. We could always use more jerky here. Is there anything else that you wish to trade or trade for?” 

“We're headed into the Frostback mountains to find Skyhold. I think we will need a fur big enough for a Qunari.”

“I have just the thing,” the merchant said and shuffled sideways to open a chest of furs. 

“Do you have a spyglass?” Tallis asked, thinking it could help them scout out the enemy. 

“Sorry, not many spies come through here, but I guess if I knew they were spies that wouldn't make them very good spies, huh?” 

Sancia chuckled, “We aren’t spies. But it would come in handy when we try to ambush the raiders outside town.”

Tallis could see the merchant had no idea what a spyglass was and would have thought he said the words wrong in the common tongue if Sancia had not voiced her own understanding. “It is a device that lets you see far.”

“Oh… I still do not have one of those. But good luck taking those bastards down,” the merchant said, lifting a big fur out of the chest and setting it on the counter. “Does this look big enough?”

“A bear pelt,” Sancia said, looking up at Tallis. “Exactly what I was thinking.” She picked it up and rotated it in her hands before holding it up behind him so she could drape it across his shoulders. “Perfect.”

Tallis wiggled his shoulders and ran his hand over the fur. “It is very comfortable.”

“Is that all you two require?” 

“Do you have any lyrium potions?” Sancia asked and looked up at Tallis. “How much coin did we take off those bandits?”

“A few silver. We will have enough.”

“I do,” the merchant said, picking them up from the shelf below the counter. “Never had much use for them before the Templars and the mages went to war.”

Tallis pointed at a pair of fur boots that looked to be her size. That or they were meant for a child. He could not tell, but they looked like they would fit. “And those boots for her.” 

Sancia hadn't considered how cold her toes would get in the snow and smiled. “Good idea.”

The merchant retrieved the boots from the shelf and looked over the items to calculate the trade then opened his pouch to hand them 50 copper. “Thanks for your business. Be careful out there.”

Sancia put the potions in their pack and carried the boots under her arm as she walked beside Tallis toward the inn. “We should go down to the lake and take a bath while it’s still warm out. And then you can teach me how to play,” she said, looking over at the chess board in his hand. 

“Chess,” he smiled, happy she was interested. “I suspect you will learn it fast.” They approached an elven woman standing behind the counter. 

“Welcome... Do you two require a room?” She looked Tallis up and down, uncertain whether he would fit on the bed. 

“One room for two nights,” Sancia said. “Can we get supper too?”

“Yes. That will be one silver and 20 copper.”

Tallis opened the coin purse he took from the bandits and handed her the money. 

“Supper won’t be ready for another hour. Your room is first on the right.”

“Thanks. We’re going down to the lake first,” Sancia said and took the key. She pushed their door open and set her bag on the floor before sitting down on the edge of the bed, measuring its length with her eyes. “You're okay with your feet dangling over the edge, right?” It was not a plush mattress by any means, but it would still be more comfortable than lying on the hard ground. 

“Yes.” Tallis set the chess board on the table and removed his armor, setting it down beside it piece by piece. “I have had to stay in human sized beds before. I got used to it.”

Sancia watched him, noticing how broad his shoulders were even without the pauldrons covering them, and stood up to retrieve her lavender-infused honey from her bag. “Let’s go,” she said, eager for a swim in the lake and to smell sweet again. 

They walked down the road, taking in the view from the edge of the hill as they went. “It looks peaceful,” Tallis said, finding it strange that nobody else was around. “There aren’t any boats or fishermen.” 

“Good. We will have it to ourselves,” Sancia said, sitting down at the shore ahead of him to unwrap her legs. She didn’t like to bathe within sight of people, especially humans. She set her jar in the sand and stepped into the water so it covered her ankles. “It is colder than I’d hoped,” she warned him and started unclasping her cinch and sash.

“The cold, like fire, can be purifying.” Tallis removed his boots and stood beside her in the water, letting his feet sink into the sand beneath the layer of pebbles. “Qunari have ice imported so that we can have ice cold baths. Before entering the bath, we always make sure to test the water,” he said and knelt down to splash his chest. With a chill, he gave a satisfied grunt. “We have found after these ice bathing sessions, our minds are clearer. We no longer experience mental... fog. It is also believed that this helps to keep us from getting sick.” He stood up to shed his vest and remove his pants. “Those who suffer from physical pain experience relief in the cold water.”

Sancia listened to Tallis speak, imagining his ritual in an ice bath, and tried to appreciate the cold that numbed her toes. It certainly did wake her up. 

Tallis watched her as she loosened her robe in front of him, letting it slide down her shoulders to rest at her hips before untying the knot that held it together. She looked over her shoulder to drop her clothing beside the jar of honey and walked into the water, slowing down as it reached her hip. 

As he followed her into the lake, for a moment he thought he understood what it was that made elves considered so universally appealing, though he’d never given it any thought before. Her skin and hair reminded him of milk and honey, light and smooth. Even with the scarring that marked her flesh, she looked soft and unblemished, without wrinkles or body hair. He wanted to hear the story each of her scars told, and he wanted to feel them under his fingertips. She was still close enough that he could count the tiny moles on the back of her shoulders. She was graceful, even when she did not try to be, and although she was petite, she was not frail skin and bone. Her slender neck, the curve of her shoulders, the dip of her waist, and the way her toned back moved as she reached up to let her hair free from the twine that tied it together all gave her a pleasant shapeliness that Tallis couldn’t help but admire. 

Sancia breathed slowly and deeply as she continued walking into the water until it reached her shoulders, then, lifting her feet off the floor, she treaded water and turned to face him. She tried to keep moving to maintain at least some of her body heat. Tallis sank into the water, bending at the knee so he was mostly submerged and at eye level with Sancia. He turned his head to watch her as she circled around him. He ducked his head under the water and came back up, brushing the long, wet strands of silver hair out of his face. The water relaxed him, washing away some of the tension he carried since the dreadnought sank. 

Sancia swam up behind him and ran her hands over his bare shoulders. Even though she touched his skin every night she slept on his back, there was something different about doing it now. She scooped up his silky hair and carefully combed her fingers through it. Tallis closed his eyes when he felt a tingle run down his spine, another of the unique reactions he only ever felt from her hands. 

Setting her feet on the ground to stabilize herself, Sancia stood up, rising a few inches out of the water. “Lean back,” she said and held the back of his head so his face stayed above the water. She rinsed his hair, running her fingers through it and massaging his scalp. She kept her eyes fixed on his, though she shivered from the cold air on her bare breasts and shoulders. 

As she stood over him, naked and vulnerable, it surprised her how comfortable she was with him. She felt safe. She had never felt so safe with anybody else before, and it wasn’t just because he made her brave, it wasn’t because she was confident he could fell any enemy, be it raider or bandit, demon or darkspawn. It was because she trusted him implicitly. She knew he would not hurt her. She knew he respected her, not only in alignment with the Qun but in alignment with her own autonomy. 

“Wait here,” she said and lifted his head up slowly before releasing him. She walked out of the water, hugging her arms across her chest, and retrieved her jar of honey, then quickly receded back into the lake, finding the water warm by comparison to the cool breeze that bit her skin. 

Tallis remained where she left him, looking up at the clouds passing overhead as he tried not to dwell on the image of her naked body. When she returned, he could smell the honey from the open jar. 

“Can you hold this?” she asked, holding out the jar over his shoulder as she applied a scoop of honey to his scalp and forehead. He lifted his hand palm up to take it and felt a tingle in his stomach when she massaged the honey into his hair and around the base of his horns. 

“Relax,” she whispered, massaging his skin in slow circles from his forehead over his temples and the bridge of his nose and down over his cheeks to his chin. 

Tallis closed his eyes. It felt like he was floating motionless in the water. Though his feet were grounded in the sand, he did not feel his weight upon them. He had never been cleaned by another before, at least not since he was an infant. Qunari had their bathing rituals, but they were never so intimate. Qunari bathed themselves, unless they were injured and in need of assistance. He wondered, for a moment, if it was a Dalish practice to wash one another, but then he remembered Sancia was no longer Dalish and had not been for many years. Perhaps it was not a cultural norm at all. 

Whatever thoughts he was going to have about the Qun, he let go of as Sancia thinned the honey with water and massaged it into his neck and shoulders. “Mm... Sancia, your touch is magic even without a spell.” He thought if she had been born without magic, she could have been a Tamassran. But he also did not think she would see it as her duty to comfort. He knew she would not do this for just anybody. 

Sancia smiled and returned to massaging the honey into the roots of his hair. She was intimidated by her attraction to him, not for his size but because she knew he could not return her feelings. Her past fleeting romances were built on emotional connections, not relieving sexual tension. She couldn't be a tool for him to use. But she felt a great sense of comfort in their physical intimacy, even if it was in the form of the mundane. Sleeping. Bathing. Little touches as they shared their food and water or sat by the fire. She had been starved of physical contact over the years. And now that she met someone she could truly trust, she did not want to let him go. She held back, of course. She resisted the temptation to lean down and kiss his lips. Qunari were not meant to be affectionate, and the touching, she knew, would be deemed inappropriate. 

Holding the back of his head, she guided him to dip his hair back into the water and rinsed out the honey. She moved away when she was done, releasing him so he could rinse the honey off his face, and took the jar from his hand. She scooped out a bit for herself, spreading it more quickly across her face and hair. 

After splashing water on his face and wiping down his neck, Tallis watched Sancia scrub the honey into her cheeks and scalp. He found it peculiar how she was not as gentle with herself as she had been with him. He put his hand on the jar of honey she held in the crook of her arm, and she relinquished it to his holding. When he scooped some out with his index finger and smeared it across the back of her shoulder, she stopped moving, and he wondered if his hands were uninvited. “Is this okay?” 

Sancia slid her hand over the nape of her neck to scoop away the blonde, tangled hair that clung to her back, then let her hands fall beneath the water and turned her head to look back over her shoulder. “Yes. Please.”

Tallis stood up to massage her shoulders and wash her back. The water only rose as high as his belly, but the air felt good against his skin, and over Sancia’s head, he could see the shoreline and anyone who might approach from the hill. But he did not look out at the road, instead noticing the way Sancia tilted her head forward, relaxing under his hands as he massaged her neck. He moved his hands lower, his thumbs following her spine, surprised at how balanced she was between being toned and soft.

He pulled his hands away abruptly, ashamed at the physical desire he felt for her. Even in the cold water, he was becoming aroused, and he did not want to frighten or offend her. _Asit tal-eb,_ he reminded himself in an effort to calm and control himself. 

Sancia peered over her shoulder at him curiously before crouching in the water to rinse the honey off her back and out of her hair. “Tallis?” 

He sank back down into the water a little bit for fear of her becoming aware of his arousal. He wondered if he should be honest with her because it was his way and he felt she would want him to be, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to go down the path to which his honesty would lead. “Yes?”

Sancia remembered the conversation she'd had with the woman at the crossroads and was curious about Qunari women. She doubted Qunari women looked anything like elves and expected Tallis would be attracted to his own kind. She turned to face him and stood up, dipping her fingers into the jar he held so she could exfoliate her arms. “How tall are Qunari women? They must be taller than humans.”

Tallis was taken off guard by her question, but he welcomed the distraction. “Yes, they are taller than humans. They are usually slightly shorter than Qunari men, but some have grown as tall. They are not as big.”

Sancia rinsed off her arms as she listened to his answer. She knew she was pushing his boundaries with every touch. She wasn’t sure if it discomforted him in any way, but she thought if it had, he would have politely put a stop to it. She wasn’t sure how he perceived her affections, but she knew he would not mistake her attraction to him for anything else. Not when she touched him just for the purpose of feeling him.

“And their horns?” She moved closer, reaching up to touch his horns with both hands, and she felt the heat emanating from his skin, their bodies nearly touching. Her breath trembled nervously, but she hoped he would think it was from the cold. “Are they like yours?” 

Tallis felt that familiar tingle in his stomach when she touched his horns and his heart raced, but he did not want to betray his feelings. “Some have horns shaped like mine,” he answered, looking into her eyes. He could see hope in the pale blue flecked with gold. She was so close he could feel her breath tickling his skin and realized how close she was to his fully erect penis under the water. He placed his hands on her waist to prevent her from moving any closer and swallowed hard at the feeling of her soft skin and slender waist. He kept his eyes on Sancia’s face, but as soon as he touched her, he could see the effect it had on her. 

The tingling started in her belly with a flutter and connected between her legs, causing her knees to buckle under the pressure. The heat spread from her cheeks to the points of her ears as her skin above the surface of the water pricked with goosebumps and her nipples hardened. Her body reacted in an instant. But she also felt the nearly indiscernible shift of him pushing her away and felt embarrassed because she knew he saw everything. She felt like she had to catch her breath and reluctantly took a step back. She bit her lip, staying the tremble in her voice. “I’m sorry,” she said. 

Tallis kept his hands on her waist. He did not want her to leave. He could tell she was embarrassed by her body’s reaction just as he had been trying to hide his. “You do not have to apologize. I, too… have reacted,” he said, glancing down at the water meaningfully. “You were standing close. I did not want to surprise you.”

Sancia smiled, relieved she was not an entirely unwelcome thing, and fought the urge to splash cold water on her face for how hot her ears and cheeks had become. His hands so firmly on her waist was turning her thoughts into mush. “I… I still should not have touched you,” she stammered, trying to think over the pounding of her heart in her ears. “It does not mean the same to you as it does to me.” She rested her hands on his wrists and gently pushed them away. She didn’t think it would hurt so badly to break that contact once she had it. She felt cold where his hands had been. 

It surprised him how her words hurt. Words rarely had such power over him. He considered himself Qunari, but her thinking the motivation behind his body was due only to a need for relief disappointed him. And it confused him. She was not wrong to think that way. She was only going by what he had told her himself. “It is not what you think.” But he could not tell her what to think. He did not know what to think of it himself. It was not release he was looking for but connection. And he knew the desire for connection would warrant his re-education. 

Sancia waited for him to say more, but he was pensive, still processing what was happening between them. “Let’s go back to the inn,” she said, shivering. She started back and felt something under her foot. Curiously, she dipped under the water to pick it up and inspect it. When she came back up with a human skull in her hand, she dropped it with a startled cry. 

Tallis snapped out of the daze he was in instantly and felt around the lake floor with his feet. What he thought was driftwood may very well have been bones. “Come,” he said, taking her by the hand as he led her out of the water. “We will have to ask the guard about this.” 

She dressed as quickly as she could, wondering if they came out more dirty than they went in. She shivered, clenching her jaw painfully to prevent her teeth from chattering, and hugged herself, squeezing the sides of her robe until her knuckles went white. She regretted not bringing the fur with them. 

As curious as he was about the skeleton in the lake, Tallis did not question the guard as they entered, prioritizing Sancia’s warmth over the town’s history. When they entered their room at the inn, he picked up the recently acquired bear fur and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I will ask about dinner," he said and left to find the elven woman who had given them their key. He expected they had a hot soup or stew brewing in the kitchen. The Arishok had mentioned Fereldens were lazy cooks who threw everything in a pot.

Sancia was shivering under the pelt, so she stood up and undressed then laid her damp robe out to dry. She slipped on a chemise she kept in her pack for when she did laundry or slept indoors. It was made from thin cotton, but being dry, she was better able to retain her body heat. She wrapped herself in the fur and sat at the table just as Tallis returned with two bowls of stew in his hands. 

"Will you still teach me how to play?" she asked, straightening the pieces that came with the board. 

"Of course," he cracked a smile, relieved she did not feel the need to distance herself from him. “Eat first. It will warm you.” When she took the spoon from his hand, she let the fur slip down her shoulders, and Tallis could feel his body react to the sight of her bare shoulders, the curve of her collarbone, and her pink nipples faintly showing through the fabric. He sat down across from her to eat and thought about how easily she disarmed him when he was ordinarily in control. 

Sancia hadn’t realized just how hungry she was until the stew was in front of her. And Tallis was right about it warming her. Being warm and fed made her want to curl up in bed, but she still wanted to play his game and hoped he would tell her what he meant when he said ‘It isn’t what you think.’ 

She picked up the bottle of ale from her bag on the floor and set it on the table by his bowl. “To give me an edge in the game,” she said. 

Tallis chuckled, finding the gesture entertaining because she didn't even try to hide her intention. “I did say I was curious.” He took a swig and then a deep breath in reaction to the burn. “I feel I understand why dwarves are the way they are most of the time, now.”

“Just the bit I had the other night was enough to make my head swim,” she admitted. “I expect it will not affect you as harshly. But I am hoping it makes you more talkative.” 

“So, an interrogation is your intention? You never cease to surprise me,” he said, taking another drink to entertain her. 

“Not an interrogation. I will not question you. I will just listen,” she smiled and rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. “Now, how do we play?”

She listened as he explained how each of the pieces moved, but she was still distracted by her underlying thoughts replaying their time in the lake and what he had said without any further explanation. She tried to concentrate on the game, determined to present a challenge, even if she did not win. Tallis enjoyed watching her face when it was her turn as she examined the layout of the board, making her moves with careful calculation. And when it was his turn, he could feel her eyes on him, and he knew it was not the game she was thinking about. He thought about how patient and considerate she was to wait for him to broach the topic, even if she plied him with alcohol in hopes of drawing it out of him sooner. 

“Sancia,” Tallis started, feeling slightly drunk from the amount of ale he had imbibed. Maybe more than slightly. 

“Are you going to tell me what I should think?” she asked, looking up from the board expectantly. 

“I will try to explain,” he said. “But I have questions.” 

“What questions?” 

“Why did you ask me about Qunari women? And their horns?”

She hadn’t expected that to be the question and wondered how long he had been sitting on it. “I was curious what they look like… if they look anything like me,” she confessed. “And I did not really have any interest in their horns. I just wanted to touch yours.”

He had liked the way she touched him and found it endearing how she had cleverly orchestrated their discussion just to do so. “Did you hope that Qunari women look as you do?”

Sancia felt her cheeks and ears burn and moved a piece on the chess board. She wasn't even sure if it was her turn or his. She knew it was absurd to think a Qunari woman might look like an elf. And it was not that she wanted them to look like her. It was only that she wanted Tallis to look at her. “I don't know,” she mumbled.

He could tell she felt conflicted and moved a piece that left his king vulnerable. “I have never met anyone like you. You are brave. And you keep to your truth. But you are willing to learn more about concepts that you may disagree with.”

“Like you keep to your truth?” she asked, looking over the board as she chewed her lip. She knew there was no room for her in his world. He had made that clear when he told her about the Qun’s stances on breeding and confining dangerous things.

He caught her meaning and hesitated. His feelings were in contradiction with the Qun’s teachings, he knew. He was still coming to terms with that. He was Tallis and he was Qunari, but there were aspects to his being that were neither of those things just as Sancia was Mage and Elf but neither of those aspects entirely defined her. He had never considered this before because he had never discovered it within himself or experienced it through others. But he did not know how to tell her that. “Part of my truth,” he said, “is that no Qunari woman does to me what you do when I look at you.”

Sancia could hear her breath shake as she exhaled and felt that stinging tinge of hope caused her heart to race. “I am not used to being seen.” 

“I have found myself looking upon your face whenever I am able to. Your eyes alone are enough to keep my attention.” Though her cheeks were always tinged pink from mild rosacea, he knew when he made her blush, the color deepened and spread to her ears. He found that too to be attractive. 

“After I left my clan, I became used to being thought of as ugly or broken. It made men uncomfortable to look at my face for very long if we were not having a conversation. And I knew when they were not looking me in the eye. You have never made me feel that way.” 

“I do not want to make you feel that way. The men here are fools if they cannot see what I do.”

She smiled at him, but it was a sad smile. She was happy her feelings were reciprocated, but she knew he was on a mission for the Arishok and it could be only a week before she had to say goodbye, longer if she could accompany him back to the coast if he were meant to return right away. She wanted more time with him. She examined the board and slid her queen across the board. “Checkmate.” 

Tallis smirked, happy she saw the opening and took it. He could see the sadness in her eyes and offered her the last of the ale. “Do you want to lie down?” 

She drank it, crinkling her nose at the taste, and nodded. “You first,” she said, just in case he was offering her the bed to herself. 

Tallis stood and removed his damp clothing to hang it by the window and lay on the bed with his arms folded under his head. 

Sancia climbed over his naked body and brushed his damp hair over his shoulder before lying on his back. She rested her hand on his bicep and her head between his shoulder blades. Her heart was pounding so hard she was afraid he could feel it against the small of his back. It would be so easy for him to turn over and pull her into his lap, but she could not give herself to him when all she could think about was his leaving. 

“Good night, kadan,” Tallis said quietly.

She closed her eyes, blinking away the tears that had welled up, and swallowed hard. _Where the heart lies._ She wondered if it was true. She knew he said the phrase was used for friends and family, but with such a romantic meaning, she could not imagine her heart lying in so many places at once. Hers was singularly in his hands. “Good night, ma vhenan,” she whispered. 

He did not know the meaning of that word, but he knew it was not the common tongue. He could tell she was still deeply troubled, as was he. He knew that he had to put his duty to the Qun first and foremost, but at the same time, he felt like he needed her by his side. He knew in the future he would have to make a difficult choice, but for now, it needed to be put to rest.

‘I will miss you,’ she thought, but she did not say it. He was not leaving yet. They hadn’t even yet reached Skyhold. But every day she spent with him would make letting go of him more painful and the loneliness that much harder to bear when he was gone. She wanted to relish every second she had with him. And hoped maybe he would spend enough time with her to change his truth and make room for her.


	8. Powerless

The guard at the gate greeted Tallis and Sancia as they approached. “I got that map out I promised,” he said and unrolled it over a table. “Their base camp is here,” he said, circling a spot on the side of the mountain and marked the cave with an X. “There are two paths coming down from here where they travel and strike in these areas.” He circled four spots on the map where the groups frequented. “They really like this spot for the farmlands. The problem has been predicting where and when they will strike, and we just don't have enough men to chase them around.”

“We will thin their numbers if we find them,” Tallis said. He did not want to promise wiping out their base, nor could he guarantee they would find their group. If they could not track them down in a day, he would not waste any more time there. 

They followed the road to the farmland marked on the map and slowed when they saw horses tied to the fence outside the perimeter. “They could be raiding the farm,” Sancia said. 

Tallis crouched down behind a formation of boulders across the road and scanned the area. “It looks like a group of four.” Tallis glared at the Tal-Vashoth warrior who stood out amongst the group. “They look heavily armed with two archers. One is a human in heavy armor. How far away can you cast that lightning spell you did before?”

“I'd have to get closer. Maybe 200 feet away.”

“If it doesn’t incapacitate them, it will stun them,” he said. “Start the battle with that, then hit the nearest archer with a fireball. I will kill the other archer, the one in the green vest, and finish the rest.” He looked at her to make sure the archer would be close enough to be hit by the fireball. 

She nodded, “I can do that.” She looked over at him to find he had already stepped into the shadows. With a deep breath, she tucked one of the vials of lyrium into her sash and unclasped her staff. She had to move closer and hoped the raiders would not notice her right away. She moved through the tall grass and stopped at the wooden fence to the farmer’s plot. She scanned the area carefully and caught sight of barely discernible movement in the grass one could mistake for a rabbit or the wind. She knew it was Tallis moving into position. 

She climbed over the fence and cast her spell, arcing lightning between the nearest three raiders, including the Tal-Vashoth warrior and the nearest archer. 

“MAGE!” 

She had expected more than one of them to come after her, but the rest of them retreated, including the archer she had been tasked to strike with a fireball. She was not in the habit of picking fights, but if she had ever played out the scenario in her head, she would not have ever imagined four full grown, heavily armed men to run away from a lone elf, even one with magic. 

Tallis came out of the shadows as soon as she cast her spell and backstabbed the nearest archer so he crumpled to the ground. 

“Qunari!” the Tal-Vashoth roared and charged, swinging his axe. 

Tallis ducked and rolled away from his wild swing and the archer’s arrow. He noticed the Tal-Vashoth was wearing vitaar and knew he would have to hit his most vital areas. He stepped back, maneuvering with the archer in mind as he watched the warrior’s movements and waited for him to swing his axe. 

“You're blocking my shot, Ox-man!” the archer shouted at the Tal-Vashoth. 

“Katara!” the Tal-Vashoth shouted and swung his axe, but Tallis was too fast and agile for him to recover from the swing before being stabbed below the armpit so his lung was punctured. He swung his elbow back, connecting with his assailant's ribs, but Tallis' arm was already wrapped around his neck, pulling him off balance. 

Tallis stabbed the Tal-Vashoth in the eye before turning and using his body as a shield from an arrow. 

Sancia climbed back over the fence before casting a stonefist at her assailant as he closed the distance between them, but he seemed to deflect it easily with his shield. It was then she realized he was not some untrained baker-turned-bandit or out of work mercenary-turned-raider. She cast a fireball from the end of her staff before he silenced her, cutting her off from the Fade and rendering her defenseless. 

“TALLIS!” Sancia screamed, panicked as she turned to flee. She thought about circling the perimeter to try to lead the Templar back to him, but if she got within range of the archer before he killed him, she would be an easy target. 

She was going to outrun the Templar, being quick on her feet and not weighed down by heavy armor and a shield like he was, but he did not have to use his sword to slow her down. She had never felt the burn of a righteous smite before, but it was more painful than anything else she’d ever endured. She fell to her knees as she clutched her chest and tried to catch her breath. It felt like she had swallowed lightning and it was burning through her lungs from the inside out. 

She crawled away, barely able to coordinate the movements of her arms and legs because it felt like she was engulfed in flame. The sound of his armored foot falls were closing in on her as the rise of panic drowned out all her thoughts. She turned to face him, scrambling on the ground as she held up her staff in front of her to block his incoming swing. 

The sound of Sancia’s voice drew Tallis’ attention to her, and his normally steady heart rate raced at the sight of her in danger. He stepped into the shadows and plunged his dagger into the back of the archer’s neck as he ran past him, sprinting as quickly as he could to strike at the Templar before he could strike down Sancia. He inwardly cursed himself for not trying to attack the heaviest armored person first, but he wasn't used to planning for Templars. 

Sancia tried to parry the Templar’s blow, but the weight of his sword knocked her staff out of her hand. She tried in vain to cast a bubble around herself and watched Tallis appear behind the Templar as he drove his sword through her middle.

Tallis reached around the Templar to grab the front of his helmet and pulled his head back to stab him in the side of the neck. He pushed the Templar aside, letting him fall, and dropped to his knee in front of Sancia. She held the sword in both of her trembling hands, holding it inside of her where her robe was soaked through with blood. “Sancia,” he touched her face, bringing her attention to his as he untied his sash and bundled it up to hold it firmly against her wound as he was trained to do. “You can heal this, right?” 

Her eyes welled up as she shook her head, lips trembling, “I can’t. Not yet.” She had felt powerless before, having found herself in situations where she could not cast a spell for fear of the consequences, but never before had she actually been cut off from magic. She felt naked and weak, just an elf at the end of a trained soldier’s sword. She was having trouble keeping a grip on the blade, dizzy and losing strength in her fingers. 

Tallis knew removing the blade would cause her to bleed out faster and it was smart of her not to remove it. With his hand on her back, he held the blade steady while keeping her upright and kept his other hand covering the front of her wound with his sash. “When you are ready to cast the spell, I will remove the sword,” he said, keeping his voice even to try to keep her calm, even though inside he was terrified. 

Sancia put her hand over his and tried to remain conscious even though it felt like she was underwater. “I’m sorry…” she whimpered, “I’m sorry.” 

“Shh.” Tallis moved his hand up to lift her chin when he noticed her head starting to roll to the side. “Focus your energy on getting your magic back.” 

She nodded, breathing hard, and tried to light a veil fire on the grass nearby until it glowed a faint blue. “Do it quickly,” she said and cast the healing spell. 

Tallis pulled the sword from her middle and quickly pressed the cloth to her wound, catching her as she lost consciousness. He carried her to the nearest horse and rode back to Crestwood with one hand holding her and the other on the reins. He kept calm, but he knew if he lost her, he would lose his composure. He had no way of telling whether or not she cast her spell before losing consciousness, but he knew she was still alive. 

He rushed back to the inn and sent the elf at the desk to the merchant’s store for a needle, thread, and alcohol. The girl provided water and cloth, and Tallis set to stitching her open wounds closed, relieved to find she was no longer bleeding out. If the magic had healed her, it started from the inside. 

After stitching, cleaning, and bandaging’s Sancia’s wound, Tallis sat at her bedside and waited for her to wake up. It was only when the elf from the front desk knocked on their door at suppertime that he took his eyes off her. At his request, she took Sancia’s robe to launder and mend by morning, and then Tallis returned to the chair beside the bed. He pushed down the anxiety that scratched at the back of his mind. He knew he should remain calm and trust that Sancia would recover and only mourn her if she did not, but his heart ached at the thought of losing her. 

When light no longer filtered in through the window, Tallis moved from the chair to sit on the floor and rested the side of his head against the mattress, forcing himself to rest. His mind raced and the focus it took to calm his thoughts kept him awake for hours.

Sancia woke up in the darkness on her back in an empty bed. Disoriented, she sat up in a panic and winced from the stinging in her abdomen. “Tallis!?” 

Startled by her voice, Tallis woke from his shallow slumber and drew his dagger from where it lay underneath the bed, but it took a moment for his mind to catch up to the alertness of his body. “Sancia,” he breathed, rising to a knee from his position as he dropped his dagger on the floor. 

She nearly fell out of the bed as she reached out for him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clinging to him as though she’d lost him. He caught her and held her ribs, above where the bandage wrapped around her waist, relieved and warmed by her embrace. “I thought you were gone,” she whispered hoarsely. 

“I will never leave you without telling you where I'm going, Kadan.” Tallis guided her to lie back down so she wouldn’t exacerbate her injury. 

“I know, but I…” she trailed off, withholding her confession that she thought she’d failed him and, in her dazed confusion, had the absurd notion that he had continued on without her. She kept her hands on his arms, reluctant to let him go, but he didn’t pull away. “I forgot where I was when I woke up.” 

That was not a lie. She didn’t remember anything past the pain of the blade slicing through her gut on its way out. If she hadn’t healed herself prior to its removal, she would not have been awake to cast the spell. And while she remembered the pain and the fear, she did not remember being transported out of the field. 

“I brought you back to Crestwood,” he said and touched her cheek, caressing it gently. Though they only had one small window in the room, it lent enough moonlight for him to make out her features. Because the window was behind him, she could not make out more than his silhouette in the darkness. “You’ve been resting all day. The bleeding stopped, but your wound did not fully heal.” 

“I’m… sorry I didn’t hit the archer,” Sancia started. 

“You do not have to apologize. If that were not a Templar you would have,” he said. 

“Why would a Templar join a band of raiders? He’s supposed to be with the Chantry.” 

Tallis grunted contemplatively, “If the reports are correct, there might not really be much of a Chantry left for them to be with. Maybe they have strayed like the Tal-Vashoth do from the Qun. All this means to us is that we must use more caution.”

Having Tallis by her side had given her more courage and confidence, but nearly losing her life drove her two steps back. She knew she could trust Tallis, but she wasn’t sure she could trust herself. Without her magic, she was nothing. “Should we continue to Skyhold tomorrow? I do not want to let you down or put you in danger. If the raiders have more Templars… I would only be in your way. I do not want to weigh you down.”

“You have not let me down, Kadan.” He knew how soldiers could become hesitant to return to the field of battle and remembered she was accustomed to living alone and avoiding confrontation, especially with humans. “We will continue on when we are ready. If the raiders have Templars, it only means we must change our tactics and adjust the way we attack. We will plan better next time. I will not see you injured like this again.” He considered her words and added, “If you are feeling heavy, then I can carry you until you are ready to move on your own again.”

“Thank you,” she smiled and sat up as she looked at him. “For still trusting me after what happened.” His eyes matched the darkness of the room, but her vision had adjusted so she could see his face. His expression appeared softer than she had seen it before, no longer stone-faced and hiding his thoughts and feelings behind the stern façade. 

“You have given me no reason to not trust you. Mistakes happen in battle.”

She moved her hand up his arm from where she held onto him as if to keep him from leaving her. She reached up to touch his face just as he had caressed hers. “Will you sleep with me?” 

Tallis felt his skin warm up under her fingertips and a tingle of excitement flutter through his stomach. Even though it had only been a matter of hours, he missed her comforting touch. “Yes, Kadan. I suspect you are in as much need as I am.” 

She carefully stood up from the bed, leaving the covers behind, and inspected the bandage that wrapped her waist. She was still aware of the dull pain but decided not to heal herself again. Just as Tallis chose to keep the mark of the ataashi, she would keep the mark of the Templar. 

Once Tallis lay in bed on his belly with his arms crossed under his head, Sancia climbed on top of him and tried to find a position that did not agitate her stomach. She folded a blanket and placed it over the small of his back before finally settling down. She traced her fingertips over his ribs and down the side of his waist. She felt him tense up beneath her and moved her hand lightly over his skin up to his shoulder. 

“That feels good, Kadan,” Tallis murmured, his voice heavy with relaxation. 

Sancia kept her hand moving ever so lightly over his skin, exploring the surface of his shoulder, neck, and down his arm. “I'm glad it does not bother you. Do people touch like this in the Qun?”

“The Tammasrans will comfort you with gentle touches if you are in need. But it is different with you.”

Sancia smiled, thinking, ‘That is because I do it with love.’

“With you... it isn't just about fulfilling a need. I want to feel your touch whenever I can.”

“Then I will touch you whenever I can.” Sancia closed her eyes and whispered, "Ar lath ma." She hoped his feelings would not change, that they would not arrive in Skyhold and he would realize she was a distraction. She kept her hand moving until she fell asleep.


	9. Haunted

“Good morning,” the guard captain greeted them as they approached the gate to leave the town. “I wanted to thank you both again for what you did yesterday.”

“You are welcome. We would help to finish off the rest of the raiders, but we must continue on our way,” Tallis said. “We will inform the Inquisition about it when we get to Skyhold. Maybe they can send some forces to help out.”

“We are in your debt.”

“We’ll take that gold you promised,” Sancia said, leaning on her staff.

“You’ve certainly earned it,” he said, handing her the gold coin from his pouch. “I would be careful of the road ahead. Lately the undead plague the roads leading to the Frostback Mountains.”

“After what we have faced so far, I am not worried about walking corpses,” Tallis said, contemplating what kind of threat they posed in battle. Undead, he imagined, were unthinking and untrained. But he hadn’t any experience fighting them yet. 

“I've never encountered the undead before. I imagine they smell terrible,” Sancia said, looking up at Tallis. 

“Oh, they do,” the guard captain said, “but the smell is the least of your worries. They are armed and are aware enough to use their weapons.”

Tallis nodded with a thoughtful grunt as he envisioned how he would kill these things. He also thought destroying mindless corpses could help build Sancia’s confidence after what she went through with the Templar. 

“How strong are they? If they’re corpses, atrophied and decomposing, they can’t be very strong, can they?” Sancia asked and looked up at Tallis. “He could probably pull their heads off like dolls.”

“The thought had crossed my mind,” Tallis said.

“One corpse alone might not create much of a challenge, but when there's a group of them, they can become troublesome. Just be careful,” the guard captain warned. 

“We will be. Thank you,” Sancia said. 

Before leaving, Tallis said, “The lake. We went down there and we found a skull in the water.”

“Did someone go missing?” Sancia asked. 

“Ah… It was a horrible tragedy that happened long ago. Many drowned... I don't recommend going for a swim in there if I were you,” the guard captain said. 

Sancia shuddered to think of how many bodies lay beneath their feet while they bathed. 

“We will be sure not to,” Tallis said and started walking. He saw Sancia using her staff as a walking stick. “Would you like me to carry you?”

“I’ll let you know if I tire,” Sancia said and looked up at him with a smile. “Did you really think about pulling the heads off the undead? With your bare hands?”

“Yes. It wouldn't be my first choice, but it is an option. I may have to dismember them until they pose no threat if destroying their heads does nothing.”

“Mm. I suppose, being undead, they wouldn't have any eyes. Or brains for that matter. So it makes sense their bodies may still function without their heads,” she said thoughtfully. “Let's try to avoid them altogether. If you get their slimy dead flesh on your hands, my nose will suffer for it.”

“Hmm, yes, the smell would take days to go away even with washing,” Tallis agreed. “I will make sure to limit my contact with their stench.” 

“At least the lake didn’t carry the smell of the dead. The tragedy they spoke of must have happened long ago,” she said and sniffed herself curiously. The smell of blood and sweat had been cleaned from her body, but just the thought of bathing with the dead made her uncertain. She slowed when she saw two bodies in the distance. By their posture, she didn’t think they were alive. “Do you see those? Think they're the walking corpses?” 

He could see one held a sword and stood hunched forward with its arms hanging, and the other dragged its leg as it walked, looking up at the sky with tendrils of tangled, wet hair sparsely hanging from its head. “They are either walking corpses or extremely filthy drunkards.”

Sancia held up her staff and dropped a fireball on the two of them. “I sure hope those were corpses. And don't you dare say if they weren't they are now.”

Tallis looked at her with a smile, happy to see how quick she was to take action. “Then I will just think it, Kadan.”

She smiled at how fondly he spoke and walked with him past the corpses. 

“Well, you did not murder two innocent drunks,” he said and scanned the area for any other undead that might be roaming nearby. As they passed through an abandoned ruin of what used to be a small village, he felt like they were being watched. A cold wind blew over him, and he thought it could be the presence of demons nearby, but it felt different to him than the last time he saw one. 

Sancia shivered. “Oh, this place is definitely haunted.”

Tallis looked at her, visibly bothered by that. “Are you sure? It could just be a cold day.”

“I'm sure. I'm a mage. We know these things.”

“We should leave this place,” Tallis said, looking for the shortest path out of the town. He heard a faint voice talking and glanced to where he thought it came from but saw nothing. “Did you say something?”

“You seem a little jumpy,” Sancia said.

He was embarrassed, having never been accused of being ‘jumpy’, but looking at Sancia, he understood she did not say it with judgment, only observation. He feigned offense, trying to keep his composure and said sternly, “I am Tallis of the Ben-Hassrath. I am calm and do not get ‘jumpy.’” He straightened himself up and looked over at her from the corner of his eye, but he had the feeling she could see right through him. 

Sancia smiled, “Of course. The Ben-Hassrath have no fear. They chase dragons and wrestle bears.” 

“I have never wrestled a bear before, but I have considered how I would if I have to. Although, I would prefer not to.” 

Sancia chuckled, “I know you would come out the victor.” She slowed and gently poked the back of his opposite shoulder with her staff, testing him. 

Tallis pivoted to that side with his hand on the handle of his dagger, feeling like his heart just jumped out of his chest. “What was that!?”

Sancia snorted and teased as she tapped him with her staff, “I believe I just saw you jump, Tallis of the Ben-Hassrath.”

He relaxed and saw the knowing look she gave him. “The concept of ghosts unnerves me,” he confessed. “I do not understand them nor do I know how to kill one.”

“There is no need to fear ghosts,” she said, placing her hand on the back of his arm. “They are most often just memories reflected in the Fade where the veil is thin. Occasionally, perhaps, it is the spirit of the dead, trapped in the Fade. It is said you pass through the Fade in death. I do not know where they go or what comes next. But they are powerless." 

“I know that I can trust your judgment, but you are certain that they cannot harm us?” A spirit ran past him and he felt his skin crawl. Rather than startling, he went rigid. “I have had enough of this place.”

Sancia followed him, choosing to walk rather than run to catch up. When he remembered her injury, he stopped and waited for her, glancing around at the spirits that roamed the town. 

“I’ve never seen so many spirits before,” she said, following his eyes. “These spirits aren't ghosts. They have a consciousness to them. But they do not appear to be demons.”

He felt anxious at not knowing whether they were or were not in danger. “So they will leave us alone?”

“Most likely,” she said. “What exactly is it about spirits that rattles you? You cannot kill what is already dead, and what is already dead cannot kill you.” 

He grunted, “I do not like that I cannot stab them if they pose a threat. There is also a part of me that wonders what it must be like to be stuck here like that.”

“They aren't stuck here. It's hard to explain. But they are in the Fade. We are just catching glimpses of it,” she said. “If any demons show up, they will have physical forms for you to stab.”

“That I can live with.”

“Good. Then let's go see if we can find anything valuable in these empty haunted houses!”

“You want to spend more time than we need to in this cursed place? Your enthusiasm for this puzzles me, but it is calming in a way.”

She smiled at him and walked into one of the houses whose frame still stood without walls. She bashed the lock on a chest with the end of her staff a few times and opened it. “Looks like it's all taken water damage. I doubt we'll find anything in any of these houses that hasn't.”

Tallis glanced around and saw the arm of a dead body coming out from under the bed. Despite knowing she had seen combat, he did not think she needed to witness the body of someone who was likely an innocent who died horribly. He used his foot to push it under the bed before she saw it. “We should continue on before we do take something and offend one of these spirits.”

“I wonder what would happen if we were followed around by a ghost attached to an object. Would it just be an annoyance? Could we cleanse the object to destroy the connection?”

“You would not be disturbed by the knowledge that you were carrying an object that had a ghost attached to it?”

“Not really. In fact, it might be worth more when I sell it,” she joked. She wasn’t sure if he could tell she was joking and quickly said, “I would not really consider exploiting some poor spirit. I'd rather release them from this realm if it were possible.”

“It does not look like there is anything still usable and worth risking being haunted over.”

“I agree,” she said and led him out of the house, back to the path they were on. “Tallis, I am curious about something. What happens when you get too old to do your job?”

“When one is unable to continue to serve the Qun, whether it be due to mental or physical problems, they are cared for by a Tamassran.”

“The Dalish take care of their elderly too. It's unfortunate that the city elves often cannot. They start their own families, often from other alienages, so they move away. Their houses are too small to take in their parents too, especially if they have children. It is left to the family or neighbors to check in on them. There isn't anyone with a job taking care of them. There would be no way to pay them since they are all poor.”

“The Arigena would never allow that to happen in the Qun.” Reminded by her mention of the Dalish, he wondered, “You said you did not have faith in your people's gods and so you left your clan. But you were looking for them when you found me. Have you found faith? Or would they re-teach you the old ways?” 

“They would not have to re-teach me. I have not forgotten. I hoped they would accept me without faith in the Creators. But it did cross my mind that I could pretend and accept the vallaslin of Sylaise, the hearthkeeper. She gave the elves fire and taught them to heal with magic and herbs. The tattoo could cover my scar. There are different variations of it. One covers the eye. It looks like rising smoke from an extinguished flame.”

Tallis tilted his head as he looked at her scars. “Do your markings bother you enough you want to cover them with this vallaslin?”

“Not since meeting you,” she admitted.

“I am happy you are not bothered by them anymore. I would like to see the design behind this tattoo you had in mind.”

“I will draw it for you when we get to Skyhold,” she said, looking at the ground ahead of her as she walked, stepping carefully to avoid tripping over any raised tree roots. “Do you like your job in the Qun?”

“Yes. It gives me focus, and I am good at it. The actions I take sometimes affect others outside of the Qun for the better,” he said and grunted thoughtfully, satisfied with his answer. “I would not have met you with the same outlook that I have if it were not for my role.”

“Do you enjoy the act of killing?” she asked, although she thought she knew the answer. He was not a sadist. Although his role was much more complex than what one might expect of an assassin, it was still a major component to his job. 

“It depends on who I kill. I like having purpose. I also enjoy the rush of combat. But I prefer to avoiding killing if possible. I do not enjoy it.” 

“Unless they really have it coming?”

Tallis did think there was a certain sense of satisfaction when bringing someone to justice. “I once had to track and put an end to a Tal-Vashoth who was attacking small villages in Seheron. He spared no one, not even the children. It felt good to put an end to him.”

“I understand,” Sancia said. “I do not like killing either. I feel dissociated from myself. Even if I know the world is better off without them living in it, it can take days for me to feel grounded again. I killed out of anger when I lived in the alienage. When I look back on that time, I cannot see it ending any other way.”

“The Qunari are a focused people and so we strive to be efficient at what we do, but we are not unaffected by things like violence and death. It is one of the reasons the Tamassrans are so important. Sometimes our minds break and we have to be healed. For me, I have to remind myself that I have not killed a person I did not have to.” Tallis thought it must be more difficult to cope with the feelings of detachment without access to Tamassrans. “Tell me about the time that you killed out of anger. How did you heal afterward?”

“I don’t know that I did,” she said. “In Denerim, after the uprising in the alienage, it was locked down. No one was let in or out. And the Arl of Denerim led a purge, killing any elves they thought subversive. When they entered the orphanage, I followed. It happened long enough ago, I am no longer plagued by nightmares of what happened. I suppose, if I have healed, it is just from the passage of time.”

“You are strong,” he said, looking at her with admiration. “I have seen warriors' spirits break after seeing the death of innocents.”

“Mine was broken too,” she said. “It was not long after that I met the Templar. Did I mention he was blind?” 

“No… you did not.” 

“Now you see why I am so self-conscious. The only man to show any interest in me could not see my face,” she said. 

“His blindness must have allowed him to ‘see’ you in a way others would not.” 

“Yes, he had some talent for insight. He was there because he sensed some great evil. I think he sensed the death that hung in the air. I was the only one that would speak with him. Even though he was not one of the Arl’s men, he was human, so the elves either kept their distance out of fear of being killed or they tried to drive him away. After I informed him of what had occurred there, he helped me feed the hungry.”

“He sounds like a kind man.”

“He was. I asked him to return so we could speak more. He was a very good conversationalist, I thought. But it was a foolish thing to do. Everyone in the alienage noticed when he came back and did not leave the next morning. It did not matter that nothing happened between us. I was driven from my home, and I stayed with him for almost a week before leaving Denerim in search of the Dalish.”

“It was not their business what you and he were doing in your house. You said none were interested in courting you.”

“Yes, but he was human,” she reminded him. 

Tallis grunted. “He must have regretted you leaving.”

“Perhaps. I cared for him a great deal, but I felt like I burdened him by leaving the alienage so suddenly. He was kind to invite me in. But he was a Templar and a pious man. I do not believe in his Maker, and it is against the Chantry's laws to harbor a mage. I could not risk his duty on my selfishness. And I could not tell him that I knew magic. I could not be honest with him and I would not have been living my truth.” 

“The alienage lost a great person when they drove you out. They were fools,” Tallis said. “To be true to oneself and cast aside selfish desires is admirable.”

“And lonely,” Sancia said, looking up at him. She felt the sudden weight of fear in her stomach. She knew that in the eyes of the Qun she was a selfish desire to him, and if he didn’t see it yet, he would once they reached Skyhold. 

Tallis had always reminded himself that it was for the better of the Qun when he came to a crossroads, but she was right that it could be a lonely road. He looked down at her once he felt her eyes on him and wondered if he could return to being lonely knowing his own truth may lie with her. “Maybe it is not always the right thing to sacrifice your desires. Neither path is easy.”


	10. Skyhold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sancia and Tallis arrive in Skyhold and meet Serenity, the Warden Commander.

Tallis and Sancia hiked the Frostback mountains in search of Skyhold for a few days before finding the path. They would have missed it had Scout Harding not come out from behind a rock to greet them. “Hi there,” she said.

Tallis instinctively placed his hand on his sword. “Who are you?” 

“I'd take my hand off that sword if I were you. Not unless you want arrows sticking out of your neck. I'm Lieutenant Lace Harding of the Inquisition. You're obviously not Venatori and you're not exactly a Qunari invasion.”

Sancia stepped in front of Tallis protectively and said, “We're looking for a way up to Skyhold. My friend here is to deliver a message to the Hero of Ferelden. Is she serving the Inquisition?”

“Oh, yes, she is,” Harding said, surprised, and whistled to her scouts to come out from their ambush positions. 

Tallis took his hand off his sword and asked, “Will you take us to Skyhold?”

“I can set you on the path, but we will need to continue our patrol,” she said and waved for them to follow her. “It’s a good thing we found you. The path was snowed over last night.” 

“We were worried about that,” Tallis said, remembering how they huddled together under their furs in a cave the night before, watching the snow drift into the entrance. 

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Sancia thought she might be the prettiest dwarf she'd ever seen, not that she had seen so many. “What can you tell us about Skyhold?”

“It's very pretty and… huge,” Harding said, “The doorways are tall enough for a Qunari to walk through without having to duck underneath, but a lot of it looks like dwarven architecture. What brings you two to Skyhold?”

“I was on the dreadnought that was to meet up with the Inquisition,” Tallis said. 

“I regret to inform you that the alliance is null.”

“I assumed so, but I have my own mission. I am here to meet with the Gray Warden Commander.”

“You’ve come to the right place. From what I hear, she’s a hard one to keep track of.” Harding stopped and pointed up the mountain path. “You should reach Skyhold before nightfall. Just don’t slip and fall.” 

“Thank you for your assistance,” Tallis said and continued walking. 

Once they were alone again, Sancia asked, “After you find the Hero of Ferelden, will you seek out the Iron Bull?”

“Yes. I have much to discuss with him, but first I must finish my mission.”

“Did your Arishok tell you what was in the letter?”

“No. I was only told not to kill her.” If Skyhold was as big as Harding had described it, he imagined it would be bustling with people like a large city. “I wonder what reception we will receive at Skyhold.” 

“They might not even notice us walk in.”

Tallis chuckled, “You, perhaps, but I stand out.”

She liked his chuckle, even if it was at her naivety. “Well, I don’t think you have to worry about anyone suspecting you are there to start trouble. You will not be the first Qunari they have seen.”

“Mm,” he grunted, “After the alliance fell through with the attack on the dreadnought, they might not trust me.”

“I will not leave your side,” Sancia assured him. At least her presence might give them pause at first glance. As they crossed the bridge leading to the open gates at the entrance to the courtyard, she said, “It feels different. Safe. The veil is strong here.”

“It has magical protection around it?” He was impressed with the castle as a military structure and continued through the gate, immediately drawing attention. “We are noticed,” he said.

Cullen approached them with Leliana. They could see he was armed and wearing Qunari armor, but they made no assumptions about his presence. “Hello,” Cullen greeted him, “What brings you to Skyhold?” 

Leliana immediately took notice of Sancia joining the Qunari’s side and kept her eyes on her, judging her by the staff on her back. “We have not received a messenger letting us know of your arrival.”

“I am here to deliver a message from the Arishok to the Hero of Ferelden,” Tallis said.

Leliana held her hand out. “I will see your letter to her.”

“I must deliver this myself. I alone was tasked with this.”

Cullen looked at Sancia and wondered if she was a Qunari convert. “Are you a mage?”

“I am.”

“But you are not bound in a collar?”

“I am not Qunari. I have been traveling with Tallis since he arrived in Ferelden. We've come a long way to meet the Hero of Ferelden. Please allow him to deliver this letter from the Arishok. He has come all the way from Par Vollen to see it in her hands.”

“I see. Forgive me for my assumption,” Cullen said and looked at Tallis. “I will tell her you are here. Considering recent events, I am sure you can understand.”

“I do.”

Leliana remained at the gate with Tallis and Sancia while Cullen climbed the stairs to his office. “Serenity,” Cullen greeted her, closing the door behind him. “There is a Qunari at the gate who says he has a letter to deliver to you from the Arishok. He says he has to deliver it to you himself.”

Serenity hadn’t spoken to Sten in some time, though they had exchanged several letters since the Blight ended. She worried that perhaps something had happened to him, but she doubted the Arishok would write to inform her if that were the case. “Can I meet this Qunari in your study? I would rather read this letter in private than down at the gate.”

“Of course,” Cullen said, understanding her desire for privacy. “Would you like me to be present?” 

“That won't be necessary,” Serenity said, stepping out from behind his desk to sit against the edge of it in front of him. “I am Basalit-an, worthy of respect. And I am not responsible for what happened at the Storm Coast, so they would have no reason to attack me.”

“Okay, my love,” Cullen said, placing his hands on her waist. He trusted in her ability, but there was still a part of him that thought a Qunari assassin twice her size could attack her before she had a chance to react. “I will be right outside.” 

She stood up on her toes to meet his lips with a kiss before he pulled away and returned to the gate. 

“I hope you don't mind that we request you leave your weapons with Sancia,” Leliana said. 

Tallis handed Sancia his sword and dagger. “I will find you when I am done.” 

“Follow me,” Cullen said and led him to his study. He closed the door behind him and waited on the other side. 

Tallis scanned the room as he walked inside to meet Serenity and pulled the letter from his vest. “I am Tallis, and I have been tasked with giving you this letter from the Arishok. He said it was important that I give this to you and only you.”

She held her hand out for it and rested her weight against the edge of the desk. “You’ve come a long way. Thank you.” 

“You're welcome.”

Serenity opened the letter encased in leather and noticed the water damage to the parchment, but the ink was still legible. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled when she read the first line. “The Arishok was Sten of the Beresaad during the Blight?” She could hardly believe he became Arishok and did not know a Qunari could change their purpose. It was hard to believe one who had given up on his life because he had lost his Asala had become the leader of the Body of the Qun. 

“Yes,” Tallis answered. “This is true. I have heard that he was one of your companions and instrumental in ending the blight. He has proven himself to be an exceptional Arishok.”

She read his letter in its entirety aloud for Tallis to hear: 

_Kadan,_

_I hope you are well. Reports have been coming in that the Grey Wardens went missing and it has been months since your last letter. But pleasantries are not the reason I am writing you._

_A threat once again faces your land. This has the potential to affect Qunari interests. The Inquisition has been offered an alliance. Why are you not leading? You are the most qualified. Should the alliance negotiations falter, you should take control of the Inquisition and I will push to lend dreadnoughts to your cause. I would like to avoid an invasion. But we will do what needs to be done._

_The bearer of this letter is to remain with you to help you complete your mission, Grey Warden. When he fulfills his duty in aiding you, have him return with cookies._

_The Arishok_

“He's offering the Inquisition a second chance if I lead, but the Inquisition already has a leader,” Serenity said, looking up from the letter. “As much as I appreciate his vouch of confidence for my leadership qualities, I am on a mission of my own. He knows that I serve the Grey Wardens. Right now, the Grey Wardens' interests coincide with the Inquisition's interests, but I'm not prepared to take on all the other responsibilities becoming Inquisitor would entail. I am focused on finding a cure for the Calling. That is my mission. Helping the Inquisition destroy the darkspawn responsible for creating a false Calling is also a part of my mission. But the Inquisitor's duties involve much more than that. So, he will be disappointed to hear that I am not going to lead the Inquisition, but I know that he will understand my title is the Grey Warden, not the Inquisitor.”

Tallis was surprised to be transporting such a letter and felt honored to be entrusted with its safe keeping by the Arishok. “He will understand and will not take your decision as an insult. You have a very important mission of your own.”

“This last part,” Serenity said, handing him the letter. “’The bearer of this letter is to remain with you to help you to complete your mission.’ I don't know whether Arishok's meaning is for you to help me on my mission or his idea of my mission. I welcome you to join me though.”

“He has pledged me into your service if you wish to make use of my skills,” Tallis said. He understood the Arishok’s command to be taken literally, and although it did puzzle him, it allowed him to remain there longer with Sancia. “What would you require of me? Is there someone you need dead?”

Serenity laughed, “What is your title? You do not look like Sten.”

“I am Tallis. I am Ben-Hassrath, and my title means ‘one who solves.’ I am an assassin, but if something is stolen, I am tasked with retrieving it. Not many ever know that they have met one of my title. The Antaam are who the world think of when they think of Qunari.”

“Like Sten.”

“Yes.”

Serenity took the letter and folded it, understanding dawning on her, “The Arishok is not exactly subtle, is he? He wants me to take over the Inquisition and sends as assassin to aid me in unseating the Inquisitor. But seeing as I have no interest in that, I could use your help in fighting darkspawn. After Corypheus is dealt with, I'll be making a trip into the Deep Roads. What do you say?”

Tallis thought it made more sense then why he was sent. “I will help you on your mission. The Arishok trusts in you and so shall I. I will kill every enemy that is yours.”

“Thank you, Tallis. If ever you need me and you aren't sure where to find me, you can either find me here or ask Cullen... or better yet, Leliana, my whereabouts. She seems to know everything.”

“I have heard that she is a spy and assassin of the highest order.”

“Yes, it is hard to believe how much she has changed from the Chantry sister I met her as years ago. Like Sten becoming the Arishok.” 

Tallis grunted understanding. “Will that be all, Commander? I wish to find my companion and inform her of this.”

“Who is your companion?”

“An apostate named Sancia. She saved my life and accompanied me here.” 

“Will she be staying with you?” 

“I do not know,” Tallis said. “That is my hope.”

“I would like to meet her, but there is no hurry. You should speak to Ambassador Montilyet about finding you a room,” Serenity smiled. “I hope you like it here. It's much colder than Par Vollen.”

“I will leave you now and seek you out later.”

With Leliana’s permission, Sancia went up the stairs to the tavern where she was told she would find the Iron Bull. She did not have any intention of speaking with him until Tallis had a chance to meet him, but she was curious about his appearance. With the reputation he had earned among women, she thought he must look like Tallis. 

She sat at a table by the bard and listened to her song as she scanned the room. She could see him sitting against the wall, his horn protruding into view from behind a pillar, and leaned back in her chair to sneak a peek at him. He looked nothing like Tallis, but his name certainly was fitting, considering the shape of his horns.

She sat up straight when someone approached and sat beside her. “I saw you looking at the boss,” Krem said. “Do you want me to introduce you to him?”

“Oh, no, thank you,” Sancia said. “Did he see me? I didn’t mean to stare.”

Krem laughed, “Oh, you'd know if he saw you. Don't worry though, he's a gentleman. And he’s used to getting looks from newcomers.” 

“Are you one of his mercenaries?”

“Name's Krem. I'm his second in command and sometimes his babysitter. Are you new to Skyhold? I don't think I’ve seen you before, but we get new people up here so often, it’s hard to keep track.”

“I’m Sancia. It’s nice to meet you. I only just arrived,” she said, studying Krem’s face. There was something about him she trusted and liked, even though he was a mercenary. Few humans struck her as trustworthy on first meeting them. “Can you tell me something about the Iron Bull?” 

“Well, he likes his women, booze, and a good fight. Not necessarily in that order. He's a good boss though. There isn't one of us that he wouldn't give his horn for. Or in my case, an eye,” Krem said with a lopsided smile. “Such a reckless bastard, that one.”

Sancia leaned back in her chair to look at the Iron Bull and saw the eye patch. She hadn’t noticed it before, having only caught a brief glimpse of him before Krem introduced himself. She noticed the Iron Bull make eye contact and quickly leaned forward in her seat. “He has a reputation among human women,” she asked, keeping her voice low. “Do elves like him too?”

“I thought you weren’t interested?” Krem teased. 

“I’m not,” Sancia assured him. 

“Men and women of every race want to ‘ride the bull,’” Krem said, rolling his eyes and using finger quotes. 

“I was just curious if…” Sancia hesitated to continue, but she had nobody else to ask. “I was just curious whether elves could… be compatible with someone of his size.”

Krem laughed and tried to keep his voice down. “His ‘size’? Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about? They may walk crooked the next day, but they always leave with a smile. So the boss must be doing something they like… if that helps.”

Sancia felt her cheeks burn and nodded. “Thank you, Krem. Uh, don’t mention this to your boss, okay?” She had the feeling if she stayed there any longer, the Iron Bull would approach and ask what had his second-in-command laughing so hard. “I should wait outside so my friend can find me,” she said and stood up. 

“My lips are sealed,” Krem chuckled and watched her leave, not sure what to make of her curiosity. He thought if she wasn't asking for herself (and it really seemed like she was), perhaps she was asking for a friend too shy to ask for themselves. 

Sancia handed Tallis his weapons when she met him at the stairs from the courtyard and asked hesitantly, “Have you completed your mission?”

“I am not returning to Par Vollen anytime soon. I have been pledged to help the Hero of Ferelden in her mission,” he said with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “And you? Do you intend to stay in Skyhold?”

“I hadn’t thought any further ahead than arriving here. Would I be allowed to stay and help you?” 

“If that is what you wish, I will not allow anyone to tell you otherwise.”

“Is it what you want?” Sancia asked. She thought she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear him say it. 

“It is. I do not think I could sleep without you near. I do not want to wonder if you are safe. It would be like a slow death for me that I would get no peace from.”

Sancia felt her heart flutter and smiled. “I will speak to the Grey Warden.”

“You can find her up the stairs and to the right,” Tallis said, pointing to the stairs leading to Cullen’s study. “I will find Ambassador Montilyet.” 

“You may want to stop by the tavern first,” Sancia said. “The Iron Bull is in there. I saw him.” 

“Thank you for scouting ahead,” he said. “Did you speak to him or did you just observe?” 

She hadn’t really thought of it as scouting, considering her selfish curiosity about the Bull in relation to Tallis. “I only observed.”

“What did you think of him from what you saw?”

“He doesn't look like you. He's bigger than you. Not taller, but he looks... like he could uproot a tree in his arms. And his body language was relaxed, laid back. He is not what I expected.”

“He is a spy. I am not surprised he blended in well here.”

“Well, he still sticks out like a sore thumb.”

Tallis chuckled, “And he looks bigger in the wider sense?” He considered this from a tactical standpoint, in case he had to fight him. 

“Yes, but he isn’t fat.”

“Thank you, Kadan. I will meet you here after you speak with the Grey Warden.”

When Tallis entered the tavern, the Iron Bull remained seated, casually eyeing him. “I’ve already dealt with the assassins,” he said. “Do you think walking up to me is a better strategy than trying to be sneaky?”

“I am not here under orders to assassinate you.” Tallis sat down when the Bull motioned for him to have a seat across from him. 

Krem studied the Qunari at his table and stood close by. “Boss?”

“It's fine, Krem.” Once his second-in-command backed off, the Iron Bull looked at Tallis and said, “If you’re not here under orders to kill me, then you don't know I have been declared Tal-Vashoth.”

“No, I did not know that,” Tallis admitted, though he had considered it a possibility. He didn’t know the details of how the assault on the coast went sideways. “I just want to talk with you. My mission has led me here, and I want things to be clear between us that I am not here as your enemy.”

“Heh. Up front and to the point. Well, me and my men won't cause you any trouble if you're not looking for it. And I'm pretty sure I could see it coming if you were.”

“I am Tallis… but I am sure you already knew that.”

“Of course. You have the look about you. So, what are your vices? I like my sex, booze, fighting, and sleep. Pretty basic, but it never gets old.”

Tallis grunted, “I do not have any vices.”

“So, you have all this freedom to do as you please and you don't bend the rules even a little? Color me impressed.”

“I bend rules if it is required for me to complete my mission. I do not bend them for personal reasons.”

“You can't go your whole life not getting a taste of the taboo. You'll get backed up and explode someday.”

Tallis wondered if this was what happens when one spends too much time outside Par Vollen. “What led you to become Tal-Vashoth?”

“Heh. You could say I've grown sentimental. Maybe someday you'll find out what that's like.”

“Maybe.”

“Anything else you want to know? I'm an open book,” the Iron Bull offered.

“I just wanted to make sure we would not have conflict,” Tallis said with a nod of respect and stood up. 

Bull raised his mug, returning the gesture, and thought there was something interesting about this Tallis. 

When Sancia met the Hero of Ferelden, she had expected her to be taller. She had heard she was an elf, but she seldom met elves shorter than she was. And to think about how powerful she was, it was exciting to think about someone like her ending the Fifth Blight. “Hello, Warden,” Sancia said, poking her head through the open doorway. 

“Call me Serenity,” she said, setting her quill aside, along with the letter she was penning to the Arishok. 

“It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Sancia. I came here with Tallis, the Qunari who delivered the letter to you,” she said. 

“I haven’t forgotten who he is,” she said. “And he mentioned you.”

“Did he? I was wondering if I could stay and help him—er, you.”

Serenity chuckled, “I see where your loyalties lie. I'm curious if you are a Circle mage or an apostate. Not Dalish, I’m guessing.” 

“I'm an apostate. But aren’t all mages now?”

“That is true. It holds no bearing on my answer, either way. I welcome your help, but you should know what you're getting into. I am a Grey Warden, which means fighting darkspawn. I am immune to the taint, but you are not, so you and Tallis must take care not to get any blood in your mouth or in any open wounds. During the Blight, none of my companions were infected, but I've seen others fall to the corruption. We will be entering the Deep Roads after we help defeat Corypheus.”

“And we will stay here, in Skyhold, until then?”

“Until we are taken elsewhere by duty, yes.”

“I understand,” Sancia said. “I will help.”

“May I ask why?” Serenity asked, trying to guess the likelihood of her changing her mind or truly committing to the cause. 

“I was looking for the Dalish but only because I didn't know where else to go. I am looking for purpose.”

Purpose, a familiar need. “You have found it then. What kind of mage are you?”

“I am a healer.”

“Oh, thank the Maker,” Serenity sighed with relief and smiled, “I am not. Two of my dearest friends were healers, but they are both gone. I'm grateful to have you on my team.”

“Thank you, Warden. Serenity,” Sancia corrected herself and smiled back. “I should go find Tallis.”

“Get settled in,” Serenity advised.


End file.
